Jimmie Johnson explains why he’s running the Daytona 500

Jimmie Johnson has nothing left to prove to the NASCAR world. He’s a seven-time champion, and he already has a Daytona 500 trophy in the bank.

Still, he’s returned to the sport as a part-owner of Legacy Motor Club, and he’ll run multiple races in 2024, including this weekend’s marquee event. Speaking with FOX’s Bob Pockrass, Johnson explained his motivation for doing so, and why he’s putting himself in the position he’s in at the moment.

“I know my friends that have all retired are like, ‘Why in the world would you want to go back to a plate race?’ But this is Daytona,” Johnson stated, regarding his desire to run the Daytona 500. “I just can’t see not racing in this race. I’ve always been after the marquee events.

“Sure, this is a plate race. But, man, having a shot to win another Daytona 500 is really something I want to experience.”

In addition to Daytona, Johnson will be running at a myriad of other tracks as well. He’s looking to check off some personal goals, and help his team find success along the way. The seven-time champion made sense of his schedule, and it all checks out.

“I, in my mind, have had this kind of 10-race window that I am open to, and I think fits well with my business adventures, my family adventures in the fulfillment that I still chase driving race cars. So I was very excited to expand to the nine races,” Johnson added. “There still is room for another or some other stuff that I want to do.

“I’d like to do some classic car racing, some sports car racing, if the opportunity came about. But it just really came together in a nice way. And I’m really excited about my schedule.”

Of course, nobody is going to complain about seeing Johnson back on the track, except maybe the other drivers in the series. Even after taking some time away from the sport and only running a limited schedule, Johnson is a force to be reckoned with whenever he’s behind the wheel.

It remains to be seen if it’ll amount to any more wins for Jimmie Johnson, but he’s certainly not out there just for fun. He’s still every bit the competitor he’s always been in the Cup Series, and that’ll be on full display when he races the No. 84 Toyota in the Daytona 500 this weekend.