Jimmie Johnson secured by far his best finish since he stopped competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series when he finished in third place in the 2025 season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway last month.
The seven-time champion, who now co-owns Toyota's Legacy Motor Club, finished no higher than 26th place in 12 starts across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He retired from full-time competition after the 2020 season and spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons competing in IndyCar.
While he is not a full-time driver and is therefore not playoff eligible, Johnson is still eligible for Cup Series points, as he does not compete in the Xfinity Series or the Truck Series.
And with his 34 points in the Daytona 500, which was now well over a month ago, Johnson is still higher in the standings than a full-time driver.
Jimmie Johnson still ahead of Cody Ware
Rick Ware Racing brought back Cody Ware to drive the No. 51 Ford full-time in 2025. Ware had started the 2023 season as a full-time driver after running full-time in 2022, but he only competed in seven races before his arrest. He returned in 2024 and competed part-time.
Through six races in 2025, Ware is still seeking his first top 20 finish. His best finish is only 24th place, and his second best finish of 25th is ironically one of his three DNFs.
His 27 points have him situated behind Johnson in the standings, despite the fact that it's been nearly six weeks since Johnson drove the No. 84 Toyota.
Of course, Ware was docked 10 points at Daytona when it was found that his car had improper ballast containers. Still, he would only have 37 points without that penalty, meaning that he only would have passed Johnson with the three points he scored with his 34th place effort at Homestead-Miami Speedway this past Sunday afternoon.
Corey LaJoie, who drove for Rick Ware Racing at Daytona and in the following weekend's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, has 21 points himself, despite recording a DNF at Atlanta and having not competed in the four races that have been contested since.
Ware needs eight points (29th place or better) to finally pass Johnson in the standings. Having placed inside the top 30 just twice this year, can he get it done at Martinsville Speedway this coming Sunday afternoon?
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