Jimmie Johnson ended his full-time NASCAR Cup Series career with a lengthy winless streak, but that’s not the reason he’s back behind the wheel.
At least that’s what Johnson is telling the world. Speaking with FOX’s Bob Pockrass, Johnson elaborated on his motivation to get back into a Cup Series car, even if it’s only part-time with his Legacy Motor Club team, and whether or not that long elusive final victory was a factor.
“Nope. Nope. Zero part of it,” Johnson responded, regarding whether his winless streak was a motivating factor for his return. “I am in race cars now because it’s truly what I love to do and want to do. … The desire to win, the desire to increase the win total number, to experience the thrill of victory — that’s always there. And that’s a given.
“So, one, I’m just going to continue to chase that. I love that aspect of it. But what will make me stop? There isn’t some number I’m trying to achieve and say, ‘OK now that’s enough.’ It’s probably going to be when my wife grabs him by the ear and says, ‘Look, you don’t need to be out there anymore. If you’ve been doing this long enough.'”
While Johnson is beating the drum that it’s not weighing on his mind, you have to think the competitive spirit inside of him wants at least one more win. Continuing, the NASCAR Hall of Famer added that some more time behind the wheel should aid his quest, as last season’s campaign wasn’t exactly fruitful for him.
“I didn’t get a lot of time in the car. I think I made three-quarters of a lap at COTA, part of the 500 and then not very long in the 600. But this new car is much different than what I drove before,” Johnson said, regarding what he learned in 2023. “The way it creates downforce, the balance of the car and the way you drive it. There’s a lot more push in the car versus the generations of cars I drove in my generation of driving. And so I’ll be interested to see this year how I adapt.
“I am running a lot of mile-and-a-halves. It makes more sense for us this year and it’s a focus for us to be involved on the mile and a halves. And with running both Kansas races and the additional races, I think I’ll get into a nice rhythm and really understand how to drive this car, the balance, what we’re looking for, and not only elevate my performance, but also be able to contribute to our team and get smarter and faster.”
No matter what, Jimmie Johnson will always be among the best to ever get behind the wheel, if not the best. We’d still like to see him get one more checkered flag though, ending all speculation regarding his current driving ability. Time will tell if he’s able to do so.
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