Jimmie Johnson is serious about another Daytona 500 win.
The odds — and time — appear stacked against him. But that doesn’t seem to be deterring the 7-time NASCAR Cup champion. To his credit, Johnson is not racing at this weekend’s Daytona 500, the 66th running of the Great American race, as some sort of ceremonial last lap. Johnson believes he can compete for a win.
Vanity, no doubt, plays some role.
Johnson is even with legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most NASCAR Cup championships. And he’s a two-time Daytona 500 winner. But as he told Fox Sports when asked why he’s going for a third win at Daytona, Johnson candidly remarked, “I’ve always been after the marquee events.”
To his credit, Johnson, the only NASCAR Hall of Fame driver to then go back and compete in a NASCAR Cup Series race, understands he will not be handed a win. And the desire to actually compete, at Daytona, against NASCAR’s very best, still drives him. As he told Fox, “having a shot to win another Daytona 500 is really something I want to experience.”
The Biggest Marquee Event in NASCAR
To have a chance at winning the 2024 Daytona 500, Johnson first had to qualify. It was an intense fight. Will there be anything left for the actual race on Sunday? After Thursday’s qualifying Duel, Johnson sounded upbeat about his car and his chances.
That may not be enough.
The latest odds have Jimmie Johnson at +5000. Bet $10 to win $510. That’s about 25th out of 40 drivers. Of course, as CBS sports analyst Todd Fuhrman told NASCAR, “pack racing,” like at the Daytona International Speedway, is “unpredictable.”
In fact, five of the last seven Daytona 500 winners led only one lap — the last lap. It was a last-lap pass in qualifying this week, in fact, that earned Johnson a place at this Sunday’s 500.
Are Age & Wisdom Enough to Win the Daytona 500?
In an extended interview with Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Johnson said “age and wisdom” are all he needs to win the Daytona 500. But he admitted his friends questioned the wisdom.
“My friends that have all retired are like, ‘Why in the world would you want to go back to a plate race,'” Johnson said.
The 500 is one of only 9 NASCAR Cup races Johnson plans to race in this year. He will race for Legacy Motor Club, where he is part owner.
He is nearing 50, and is already in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He’s now a team owner, and a family man — and the family live in England, far removed from traditional NASCAR country. Plus, it’s been a long time since he’s won a race. His two years in IndyCar are not considered much of a success.
Maybe most difficult of all, with that “age and wisdom” Johnson possesses, comes responsibilities. The kind that most drivers don’t have to negotiate. As Johnson told Bruce Martin with Forbes, life as a (part) owner with a team in NASCAR is not the same as it is for a driver. “I feel the weight of the partnerships, from corporate partners to my partner Maury Gallagher and everybody at Legacy Motor Club.”
More than age and wisdom, Jimmy Johnson will need some of that “unpredictable” nature of the Daytona, if he’s going to win.
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One Final Hurrah for Jimmie Johnson at the 2024 Daytona 500