Kevin Harvick retired from racing at the end of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Six months later, when he drove the #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in North Wilkesboro as a standby driver for Kyle Larson, he struggled to match his usual performance. This proved that racing is a habit that needs maintenance. Jimmie Johnson knows this only too well.
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The seven-time Cup Series champion is on the verge of making his 22nd Daytona 500 start on Sunday. It is one of the two races he will enter in 2025, the other being the Coca-Cola 600. In a recent interview this week, he stressed why performing on race weekends is harder for part-timers like him than for the regulars.
He said, “I can win on superspeedways like Daytona. But at other tracks, the rules and parity packages work against me. There’s no testing in NASCAR. That gives the drivers on tour every week a huge advantage because they know the car through the races. It’s tougher for guys trying to qualify for five or six races a year.”
He noted that the variables that affect safety and parity on the field have consequences that none can expect. In 2024, Johnson raced in nine events. His best finish was in 26th place at the Phoenix Raceway. Hopefully, he can show the #84 Legacy Motor Club Camry a better time this season. He will race in the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25.
Why Johnson chose to race in Daytona and Charlotte this year
The Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 are not new battlegrounds for Johnson. He has won the Great American Race twice and the latter event four times. So, what inspired him to take them on again? He said in a team release, “These two races hold a special place in my heart, and I’ve always loved the energy and excitement that surrounds them.”
“The Daytona 500 is a crown jewel of NASCAR – there’s nothing like it. Charlotte Motor Speedway is where I made my first start in the NASCAR Cup Series, and it’s always felt like home to me.” The mark that Johnson is striving to reach will come when he starts his second race in Charlotte. It will be his 700th career start.
Just 20 drivers in Cup Series history have achieved this feat. For a man who has won it all, leaving such a box unchecked is not an option. The only hope is that he reaches victory lane in the process.
