Jimmie Johnson is ready to make his 700th NASCAR Cup Series start, and the milestone has brought with it a wave of reflection. With retirement, team ownership, and Hall of Fame honors already part of his résumé, Johnson finds himself appreciating just how long he’s been woven into the fabric of the sport.
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The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway holds added significance, marking both a career milestone and a return to the track where his Cup journey began in October 2001. That debut saw him start 15th, climb into the top 10, and ultimately finish 39th after a spin. He closed out that year with two more starts, placing 25th at Homestead and 29th at Atlanta.
Charlotte has since become one of Johnson’s most preferred hunting grounds. Across 39 starts, he has taken the checkered flag eight times and recorded 16 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. The upcoming race will mark his 40th appearance at the track.
Although Johnson stepped away from full-time competition in 2020, he still holds the seventh-best average finish (13.9) among currently active drivers. However, his results in the Next Gen car have not matched his earlier dominance. In last year’s Charlotte outing, he started and finished 29th.
Looking back, Johnson acknowledged the passage of time with a touch of humor: “In a joking sense, I’ve been saying that I’m officially old. These moments – the Hall of Fame being one, 700 starts – really do help me realize how long I’ve been at it.”
He added, “I guess I keep trying to hide from my age of 49, and don’t believe it’s true because I still act like I’m 29, but it is what it is. The thing that really has put a lot of emotional meaning into this for me is that my first start and my 700th start will be at the same track. That has put it in there in a real way.”
When did Jimmie Johnson realize that he needed to retire?
Speaking with Business of Sport, Jimmie Johnson admitted that stepping away from full-time racing was, in part, driven by family. While his performance had already declined in the final four seasons of his career, finishing 10th, 14th, 18th, and 18th in points, the greater shift came when his daughters, now 14 and 11, could no longer travel with him once Genevieve began school.
Their absence from the track took a toll on life at home. Johnson found little joy in crisscrossing the country without his wife and children by his side. Reflecting on that period, he said, “I was like, ‘You know what? I’ve accomplished what I’ve wanted to. I’ve chased eight for a period of time. I want to be with my family.’”
That decision marked the point where he put the pursuit of an eighth championship on the back burner, choosing instead to prioritize his role as a husband and father.
