NASCAR: Did Jimmie Johnson's announcement hint at full retirement?

While it was always expected, it was finally confirmed on Thursday that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Legacy Motor Club co-owner Jimmie Johnson is set to attempt to qualify his No. 84 Carvana-sponsored Toyota Camry for the 67th annual Daytona 500 next month.

It was also announced that he is set to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.

Johnson, a two-time winner of the "Great American Race", competed in the event in 2023 and 2024, even after retiring from full-time competition at the conclusion of the 2020 season. Last season, he became the first driver in NASCAR history to start the Daytona 500 after already having been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

It is far from a guarantee that Johnson will even be in the Daytona 500 at all, judging by the stacked lineup of non-chartered (open) cars that are also slated to attempt to qualify. Plus, last year, he was nearly knocked out in his Duel race by NY Racing Team's J.J. Yeley.

But if he can lock the No. 84 Toyota into the field, he should still be a contender, given his winning experience and the sheer chaos the race always provides.

While Johnson has extended his part-time career once again, the 2025 season could be his last as a driver.

It's no secret that it has been a massive struggle for Johnson since he returned to NASCAR as an owner and part-time driver in 2023.

In his 12 starts in the No. 84 Toyota, he has finished no better than 26th place. Additionally, he has crashed out in five of those races, including all three of his starts in 2023. He has had some kind of incident in eight of them and struggled for pace in all 12.

While it's fairly obvious that Johnson is mainly out on the track to have fun, satisfy his crave for competition, and help his Legacy Motor Club team with development and general direction, it's still tough to see someone who is arguably a top three driver in the sport's history running so poorly.

Johnson could still add more races to his calendar later on like he did last year, but it does seem likely that these will be his only two starts for the upcoming season, especially given his comments at the end of 2024.

"For 2025, we will make sure we use the [No. 84] car in the right capacity and in the right way so it doesn’t take anything away from the [Nos.] 42 or the 43... Picking a goal, having a reason and a purpose for why we’re running a third car is very helpful."

- Jimmie Johnson

What's most telling, though, is just how short his calendar is. In 2024, he ran nine races. Even in 2023, he ran three, and he was slated to run more than he did, before a family tragedy put his plans to the side.

Could this be the writing on the wall that Johnson's Hall of Fame career may be coming to an end for good?

Should Johnson start both races in 2025, he will have made 700 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Only 20 drivers have ever made 700 or more starts in the Cup Series, and just one active driver, Kyle Busch, is on that list. How sentimental would it be for Johnson, his family, and all his fans to cap off his brilliant career with exactly 700 starts? It's very likely that he would want to add his name to one more page in the history books before he's gone.

While it is very unlike Johnson to put his hands up, admit he's done with something, and call it quits, he has done it recently in the past, leaving his IndyCar ride with Chip Ganassi Racing after one full season in which he struggled mightily on road and street courses.

With his nine-race Cup Series schedule in 2024, it seemed that Johnson felt he could figure out this Next Gen car with more seat time. But that simply hasn't been the case.

But even if you ignore every possible reason for a potential retirement mentioned above, the one key factor, above all else, could be his family. Johnson, his two daughters, and his wife Chandra have been living primarily in the United Kingdom for the past few years, making for endless travel and separation, even when he hasn't been in the car. Maybe he has decided that it's finally time to focus solely on running his business and being a dad as his children grow into adults.

Of course, this is all pure speculation. Nowhere in Thursday's announcement has anybody stated that these two races in 2025 will be, or even could be, his final two races as a driver. For all we know, at this time next year, Johnson could easily come out and announce his intention to qualify for the Daytona 500 again!

However, there are many hints and clues scattered over the past few years which suggest that Johnson's career could be winding down for good. It's this reason that fans should be preparing for the Coca-Cola 600 to be the Hall of Famer's last.

If these are his last two races, everyone can only hope that he can cap off his illustrious career with at least one decent result, or better yet, a walk-off 84th career victory that would tie him with Darrell Waltrip for fifth on the all-time wins list.