Jimmie Johnson hints at the status of his NASCAR future ahead of landmark start

Jimmie Johnson commented on his future in racing, mentioning that he would continue to make guest appearances and is hoping to add more races to his part-time schedule. He currently participates in the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and a few other races.

Johnson retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season but returned in 2023 to participate on a part-time schedule with his co-owned Legacy Motor Club. He marked his 699th Cup Series race entry earlier this year, participating in the season-opening event at the Daytona International Speedway.

As the seven-time Cup Series champion prepares to run his 700th race at Charlotte this weekend, he mentioned that he would return to racing on a part-time schedule in the future, too, and is hoping to add more races to his calendar.

Furthermore, he revealed that the nine races he took part in during the 2024 season were a heavy load on his team, and he's toned down to two for this season. Johnson told RACER.com's Kelly Crandall:

"Last year, I ran nine—it was a little too much on the organization. This year, I’m at two. Maybe we do a few more, so as we plan for next year, as long as it doesn’t take away from our full-time cars, we hope to run an unchartered vehicle and have me in it, and use that to develop talent, and also help develop partnerships and such."

"It is part of our plan. We don’t have ’26 picked yet, but rest assured, there (are) more than 700 starts. I’m jumping up and down asking for more races than two," he added.

Jimmie Johnson had a strong finish at the Daytona 500 this year, clinching third place after a late caution. He remained competitive throughout the weekend.

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Jimmie Johnson reflects on running his 700th race at Charlotte

The Charlotte Motor Speedway holds a deep meaning for the 49-year-old. It was on this track in 2001 that he made his debut with Hendrick Motorsports. Joining the squad full-time in the following season, he clinched seven Cup Series championships and raced with them until he retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season.

As he prepared for his 700th race on the same track, Johnson mentioned that it was by pure coincidence. He claimed that it wasn't until the team was preparing his schedule for this season that they realized this milestone would be on his debut track.

"It really is just luck that the 700th start ends up at Charlotte and the track where I had my first start," Jimmie Johnson said. "I think we ran nine (races) last year and once we started planning for this year in the Daytona 500, we realized 700 would be in Charlotte."

Jimmie Johnson finished 29th at Charlotte last year. His performance at Charlotte is expected to improve, considering his P3 finish at Daytona earlier.