After spending two years in IndyCar following his initial NASCAR Cup Series retirement post-2020, Jimmie Johnson returned to the Cup Series as not only a part-time driver but a team co-owner in 2023.
He took over Petty GMS Motorsports, the team formed when Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing merged, and helped to orchestrate their rebrand to Legacy Motor Club. He competed in three races in 2023, though he had planned on competing in more before a mid-season family tragedy.
In 2024, the team switched from Chevrolet to Toyota, and Johnson ran a nine-race schedule, putting him at 698 career starts.
So when he only confirmed two races, the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, on his 2025 schedule, there were rumors that he was content with hitting 700 starts and then stopping for good.
Jimmie Johnson NASCAR retirement put on hold
That was clearly never the plan, as he recently confirmed that he plans to run NASCAR's inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado this coming June. But that announcement triggered another rumor.
Given the fact that Johnson had never specifically targeted new races since his 2023 return before, was it possible that he was merely aiming to go out with one final start at NASCAR's newest California venue, a venue just 20 miles from his hometown of El Cajon?
That rumor has since been debunked as well, and at this point, it's probably about time we stop speculating as to whether or not the 50-year-old actually has plans to call it quits and merely shift his attention over to the team ownership side of the business.
As the new majority owner of the team, it has become clear that he plans to compete for as long as he wants to (and is able to) compete.
Johnson has confirmed that he plans to run the Daytona 500 for the fourth consecutive year, and after an impressive third place finish in 2025, it's possible that he could be granted the world-class provisional in 2026. This provisional would guarantee him a spot in the field even if he doesn't manage to qualify on speed or Duel result.
In 2023, 2024, and 2025, Johnson was not guaranteed to be in the race since the No. 84 car is a non-chartered (open) entry, but he successfully qualified each year.
In 2025, the world-class provisional was issued to Trackhouse Racing's Helio Castroneves. Castroneves got into the race despite not successfully qualifying, meaning that for the first time since 1993, the field consisted of exactly 41 cars.
The only other open car on the entry list thus far is the No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by Justin Allgaier for the second year in a row. Six other open cars are expected to be added before February, with another four longshots still possible as well.
Of course, with the Coronado race scheduled to take place in June, the Daytona 500 scheduled to take place in February, and even the Coca-Cola 600 (which is still not confirmed to be on his schedule, despite him having run it each year since 2023) scheduled to take place in May, he could technically walk away after his "home" race.
But aside from fan conjecture, there has been nothing whatsoever to suggest that those are his plans, and his recent Daytona 500 confirmation also proves that he never simply aimed to run one more race and be done with it.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 15 with the Daytona 500. Live coverage of the 68th annual "Great American Race" is set to be provided by Fox beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.