“They Never See the Same Thing Twice”: NASCAR Veteran Jimmie Johnson Was in Awe of WRC Star Sebastian Loeb Back in the Day

Jimmie Johnson serves as the golden standard for any youngster dreaming of a career in motorsports. The seven-time Cup Series champion has lived an illustrious career that very few in the world can match. To be an inspiration for this racing phenomenon is a great distinction, to say the least. That’s what the French rally driver Sebastian Leob is.

Johnson said in a 2010 interview with veteran reporter Jeff Gluck that Leob was the driver he admired the most outside NASCAR. He added,

“Those guys are just phenomenal drivers, and I’ve been in a World Rally car and have raced off-road and understand that dynamic. Those guys have to adjust every corner – the grip levels change in every corner, they never see the same thing twice. It’s just a whole different world.”

Leob is the most successful World Rally Championship (WRC) driver in history. He won the title nine times in a row, has the most event wins (80), most stage wins (120), and the most podium finishes (939). It is no wonder that Johnson, with his deep interest in offroad racing, admires Leob to a great extent.

Interestingly, Leob was originally a gymnast who was the Champion of Alsace four times. He was also the Champion of the French Grand East once. He transitioned to rallying in 1995 and won the Junior Rally Championship in 2001. At age 50, he is still active in rallying and most recently drove for Bahrain Raid Xtreme in Saudi Arabia’s Dakar Rally. He finished third.

Johnson’s time racing on off-roads before entering NASCAR

Johnson’s past in motorsports before entering asphalt tracks is filled with off-road racing appearances. He began racing motorcycles when he was just four years old. He won the 60CC Class Championship when he was seven. 

Several years later, in 1993, he was granted the chance to drive for General Motorsports Executive Director Herb Fishel but ignored it to race in deserts and off-road tracks. He raced as a part of the Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA) and collected many memorable finishes. 

He also drove in Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group Stadium Racing Series and SCORE. By the time he entered asphalt racing in 1997, he’d won 23 races, collected 100 top-3 finishes, and secured six titles. Currently, serving as the co-owner of Cup Series team Legacy Motor Club, Johnson envisions a future in which it is a top dog in off-road racing.

The outfit also fielded an entry in the Extreme E Series this year with Johnson as the lead driver. Travis Pastrana and Gray Leadbetter served as his substitute drivers. The icon is making sure to keep in touch with his racing roots inspired by the likes of Leob.