Jimmie Johnson 'Smiling Inside And Out' After Third-Place in Daytona 500
For a race car driver whose professional resume includes seven championships and 83 race wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, you wouldn’t necessarily expect a third-place result to come with a significant wave of emotion.
But, in all honesty, it’s been a trying couple of seasons for Jimmie Johnson.
Since returning to NASCAR Cup Series competition on a part-time basis in 2023 (after spending two seasons in the NTT IndyCar Series), Johnson hasn’t been able to find the same success that the El Cajon, California-native was accustomed too.
Prior to Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, Johnson had made 12 starts in NASCAR’s NextGen car, all of which resulted in finished outside the top-25 – marking the longest streak without a top 20 in his career at NASCARs top-level.
So, a third-place finish in Sunday’s DAYTONA 500, his best result in the prestigious event since he won it for the second time in 2013 is certainly a reason to celebrate, considering his recent slump.
However, the wave of emotion, that can be attributed to Johnson’s new role at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, becoming the team’s principal owner after Maury Gallagher elected to step back from his role in the day-to-day operations of the organization.
As the carnage broke out on the backstretch and many of the leaders crashed, not only was Johnston able to sneak through to get a third-place result, but behind him, John Hunter Nemechek brought home a fifth-place finish, marking the first double top five for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.
“This feels incredible,” Johnson said. “I have emotions that I didn't expect to have. I've never been in this position as an owner, and it's really opened up a different set of emotions, and the pride that I have in this result and the pride that I have in this company, now that we're trying to achieve and the journey we're on - I am so satisfied, so happy right now. Excited that we have two cars in the top five.”
“It's been an interesting couple of years, and to have our cars come out and be this strong, this Toyota was rocket ship fast. I'm just smiling inside and out.”
It’s a fantastic way to start to the organization’s second season with Toyota, and heading to another superspeedway in Atlanta Motor Speedway, it leaves all three LEGACY MOTOR CLUB drivers in the Playoffs, it they were to begin next week.
However, Johnson is staying realistic with his outlook for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, considering the first three events take place on two superspeedways (Daytona and Atlanta) and a road course (Circuit of The Americas).
“It’s hard in this sport to get too excited about things, especially race one, but there’s another plate race next week and then we have a road course, which is deceiving, and then we really get into the meat of the season. So, we’re going to enjoy tonight, but know that we have a long season ahead of us.”
As for Johnson, the 49-year-old driver isn’t scheduled to be back in the driver’s seat until Memorial Day Weekend for the Coca-Cola 600, where he’ll once again compete in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE.
But, as far as the season-opener at Daytona, Johnson says he had a blast.
“Amazing, it was amazing,” Johnson added. “I had a great time tonight. The restrictor plate racing, there are some nuances to it, but it’s been the same general concept, like 80% of it, 90% of it has been the same the whole time I’ve been here, so I’m able to fall back on experience.”
Johnson, leading the two-driver brigade of Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, will charge ahead for the remainder of the season, as LEGACY MOTOR CLUB looks to sustain this same level of performance.
-a54bf325b08a5e9f769b818f5c4a244c.png "Joseph Srigley")
Joseph Srigley covers NASCAR for TobyChristie.com, Racing America, and OnSI, and is the owner of the #SrigleyStats brand. With a higher education in the subjects of business, mathematics, and data analytics, Joseph is able to fully understand the inner workings of the sport through multiple points of perspective.