Even after reaching the pinnacle of success, a cloud of detachment hovers over a NASCAR champion. It has been six years since Jimmie Johnson hung up his full-time racing suit. He continues to be an active part of the sport, engaging in both team ownership and driving duties. Yet his presence may be a little less visible than expected, as an ex-FOX broadcaster observed recently.

Jimmie Johnson was leaning on off-NASCAR pursuits

“I think Jimmie Johnson won those championships, and he felt like there was more to do in his life. I think Jimmie wanted to see if he was really that great. So when you rattle off that many championships, you start saying to yourself, ‘Damn, am I really that good? Or, is it the car?'” Kenny Wallace said recently. “That was a really hard transition.”

Kenny Wallace, an ex-FOX broadcaster and a 9-time Xfinity Series race winner, is well aware of NASCAR’s champions. Jimmie Johnson is undoubtedly one of them, holding 83 Cup race wins and the distinction of 7 Cup Series championships alongside only Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. And yet he feels distant from the sport where he has reached such dizzying heights.

After leaving the sport as a full-time driver in 2020, Jimmie Johnson raced in IndyCar under Chip Ganassi Racing. As Kenny Wallace said, Johnson could never win a race there. He achieved six top-ten finishes, all on ovals, and earned IndyCar Rookie of the Year honors for the 2022 Indy 500. But these hardly match Johnson’s success in NASCAR.

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“He went to IndyCar, and it just didn’t turn out. Spent a little time doing what he does, going overseas. When I watch Jimmie, he likes these IndyCar racers, Formula One-type people, hangs out with them, it’s kind of like Jimmie left the NASCAR-type people. Like they upset him. Did NASCAR upset Jimmie Johnson? If so, why did he come back and own a team? It’s so strange.”

For the upcoming Truck Series this Saturday at the OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 at St. Petersburg, Jimmie Johnson will take a new role. He will be IndyCar legend Dario Franchitti’s crew chief. Recently, he credited F1 legend Mario Andretti’s racing philosophy for his own untiring motorsports efforts. In 2025, NASCAR deprived him of a Daytona 500 entry based on the OEM provisional rule to allow Helio Castroneves to compete.

All these elements justify Kenny Wallace’s line of thought. Besides his detachment from NASCAR, Jimmie Johnson also confessed to a lackluster effort in IndyCar.

Reflecting on what could have been

Kenny Wallace observed Jimmie Johnson’s lack of prowess in IndyCar. However, the 7-time Cup Series champion has a reason for it. Johnson raced in the 2022 Indianapolis 500 and put up a strong performance initially. His hopes came crashing down on lap 194, when his car wrecked into the outside wall. In a recent interview on SPEED on Fox, the former Hendrick Motorsports ace believed that he might have secured a better finish had he been “braver.”

“I had a legitimate shot to run with Roger [Penske] at the speedway,” Jimmie Johnson said. “I think they were Honda-powered only. And my Chevy contract was a problem with that. I ended up doing the 500, but if it was when I was a little bit younger and more brave, I think I might have had a better result.” He clarified that the opportunity to race with Penske came back in 2008, when Johnson was rising rapidly in NASCAR.

Despite the regrets, Jimmie Johnson continues to inspire future racers. Let’s see how he performs in his 2026 schedule.