Jimmie Johnson’s Mentor Recalls an Incident That Traces His Commitment to Racing Back to His Childhood as He Prepares for His First Full-Time IndyCar Season

“When I’m interested in a new challenge, I start at ground zero and work my way up.” With that, Jimmie Johnson is ready for the new challenge ahead of him – his first full-time season in IndyCar.

Johnson, who really had no reason but one to go out there and prove himself, still went through a rookie season in 2021, a season that wasn’t exactly how one would expect an icon such as him to have.

But his spirit is unfazed, his commitment to being better and to be the best is still there.

In fact, that very aspect of his personality can be traced back to his motorcycling days, back when he was just a kid on dirt bikes in California. Ricky Johnson, the childhood mentor, and former pro motocross racer recalled an incident that showed the former Hendrick driver’s commitment when he was only four years old, something he has carried forward all his life.

He revealed how one day he asked little Jimmie, his protégé, to beat this new kid by going wide open and making a big jump, which Jimmie Johnson did, only for him to crash soon after he made the landing.

His mentor asked him, “What happened?”

“I had my eyes closed,” Jimmie Johnson said.

“What do you mean you had your eyes closed?” he asked him again. “I was so scared, I had to close my eyes,” the four-year-old replied.

The puzzled mentor asked his scared student why he did it in the first place. “Because you told me I could,” said the scared but determined racer.

“That’s the commitment that Jimmie has,” the seven-time Cup champion’s mentor said.

Jimmie Johnson doesn’t know where his peak is

Jimmie Johnson, at 46-years of age, is still hungry for more success, more wins, more racing.

“I knew when my Cup career ended, that I was going to drive more. Because that experience I knew I needed in my life,” he said. “It’s just how I was wired, how I was born.”

As for those who conclude that he’s past his peak, Jimmie Johnson isn’t having it. He doesn’t know where his peak is. 

“Even when you’re young and in the middle of it, there are many veteran drivers that are world-renowned names that won in their late 40s or early 50s,” he said.

“Mario Andretti’s final win was when he was 53.”

“I Was Like, ‘Dang, I’m Racing Against the 7-Time Champ’” – Bubba Wallace on Being Star-Struck When Facing Jimmie Johnson for the First Time