NASCAR Cup Series driver Jimmie Johnson (84) walks onto the driver introduction stage to greet fans before the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Jimmie Johnson earns best NASCAR finish since 2020 in Daytona 500

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 17, 2025 12:06 AM ET

Jimmie Johnson didn't win Sunday's Daytona 500, but he may have been the happiest man in Daytona Beach that evening.

Since retiring from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition at the conclusion of the 2020 season, Johnson struggled mightily behind the wheel. His 29 races in the NTT IndyCar Series bore little fruit, and his NASCAR Cup Series starts with LEGACY Motor Club — a team Johnson co-owns — introduced new fans of the sport to a seven-time champion clearly past his prime.

Over his 12 Cup Series starts in 2023 and 2024, Johnson's average finish was an abysmal 31.8. His best finish in the Next-Gen car was a 26th-place effort in the 2024 championship race at Phoenix.

On Sunday, however, Johnson kept the nose of his Toyota Camry clean enough to earn a third-place finish — his best NASCAR Cup Series result since Dover in August of 2020.

From a driver's perspective, a third-place finish in the Daytona 500 is an incredible result. However, a fifth-place finish for John Hunter Nemechek and the LEGACY Motor Club No. 42 team meant Johnson had multiple reasons to smile.

That was fun! pic.twitter.com/zA2QTrdI3t
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) February 17, 2025

"I have emotions that I didn't expect to have," Johnson told Fox Sports after collecting his eighth top-five finish in the Daytona 500. "I've never been in this position as an owner. It's actually opened up a different set of emotions, the pride that I have in this result and the pride that I have in this company and all that we're trying to achieve and the journey we're on.

"I'm so satisfied and so happy right now. Excited that we have two cars in the top five ... It's been an interesting couple of years, and to come out and have the cars be this strong ... I'm just smiling inside now."

Johnson's second and final Cup Series start of 2025 will come in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25. The Coca-Cola 600 — which Johnson has won four times — will mark his 700th Cup Series start.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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