There was always one picture most NASCAR fans imagined for Jimmie Johnson’s final race. Not the No. 84. Not a farewell in unfamiliar colours. Just Johnson climbing back into the iconic No. 48 one last time. It seemed like the kind of idea that belonged in a wish list more than reality. But for the 2027 Daytona 500, that wish is coming true. Thanks to Rick Hendrick, Alex Bowman, Ally Racing and Hendrick Motorsports, Johnson’s Cup Series career will end exactly where it feels like it should.

“One more race. One more incredible moment,” Jimmie Johnson wrote while announcing the news on X. The seven-time Cup Series champion continued, “Hendrick Motorsports is loaning me the No. 48 for my final Cup Series start in the 2027 DAYTONA 500. I’m beyond grateful to Rick, Alex Bowman, Team Hendrick and Ally Racing for making this possible.”

Johnson finished with the line that captured what the moment meant to him: “I never imagined this could happen. It’s a gesture I’ll carry with me forever.”

The announcement was made on TNT Sports’ Brickyard 400 broadcast and confirmed that the 2027 Daytona 500 will be Johnson’s final NASCAR Cup Series race. He will still drive for his own team, Legacy Motor Club, but for one afternoon he’ll swap his usual No. 84 Toyota for the No. 48 that defined his career.

Making that happen wasn’t simple. Hendrick Motorsports owns the No. 48, Alex Bowman races it full-time, and Ally Racing sponsors the team. All three agreed to loan the number to Jimmie Johnson for one race, with NASCAR approving the switch. Bowman will use a temporary number for the Daytona 500 before returning to the No. 48 for the rest of his final full-time season.

The idea actually came from Jimmie Johnson. He reportedly called Rick Hendrick months ago and asked if there was any way he could start and finish his Cup career in the same number. Hendrick made it happen, even though Johnson will be driving a Legacy Motor Club Toyota. It will also mark the first time the famous No. 48 appears on a Toyota instead of a Chevrolet.

Johnson’s career isn’t separated from the No. 48. He made 686 Cup starts with it, won 83 races, collected seven championships, and became the only driver in NASCAR history to win five straight titles. Every major achievement of his Hall of Fame career came with that number on the door.

It’s also fitting that his final race will be at Daytona. Johnson won the Daytona 500 twice, claimed four Daytona 500 poles, swept both points races there in 2013, and won The Clash twice at the speedway. Like every superspeedway racer, he also walked away from some huge crashes there. Few tracks tell the story of his career better.

Johnson isn’t disappearing from NASCAR after this, though. He is the co-owner of Legacy Motor Club and continues working in television. His driving career, though, will officially end with his 703rd Cup Series start.

For a driver who spent nearly two decades making the No. 48 one of the most recognisable numbers in motorsport, there could hardly have been a more fitting farewell. Sometimes the perfect ending is also the simplest one. Put Jimmie Johnson back in the car everyone remembers him for, and let him take one final green flag.