For most of his career, Jimmie Johnson has been defined by a willingness to chase challenges far outside the comfort zone of a seven-time NASCAR champion. Even after stepping away from full-time Cup racing, he never slowed down. IndyCar, IMSA endurance races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and major international showcases have all become part of his second act.

That push to explore new horizons has now taken him farther than most NASCAR fans ever expected: Japan’s Super Taikyu Series. But this year’s finale at Fuji Speedway is hosting something completely out of its traditional DNA, a full demonstration run of NASCAR stock cars, led by Johnson himself.

Yet in the midst of this landmark crossover, there’s a strange twist: NASCAR itself has barely mentioned it. And that silence has become the story just as much as Johnson’s international appearance.

Fans scrolling through NASCAR’s official channels won’t find live updates, highlight clips, behind-the-scenes coverage, or even basic announcements about one of the sport’s greatest champions representing stock-car racing overseas. Instead, the only way most people even learned Johnson was at Fuji was through Jimmie Johnson’s own posts, Legacy Motor Club updates, and coverage from independent reporters.

It’s an odd contrast. This exhibition includes Johnson driving the Garage 56 Chevy Camaro ZL1, the very same car that captured global attention at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. He’s joined by teammate John Hunter Nemechek and several additional American entries, forming a rare six-car NASCAR presence in Japan.

For Super Taikyu and Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, who spearheaded the new “ST-USA” class allowing American-built cars into the series, this is a major cultural exchange. For NASCAR? The silence has been deafening.

Even Johnson’s off-track gestures, such as gifting Akio Toyoda a bottle of bourbon and a signed Legacy Motor Club helmet, have been widely shared internationally but virtually ignored by NASCAR’s own media ecosystem. Fans expected at least a spotlight video, a press release, or a celebratory post acknowledging a seven-time Cup champion bringing NASCAR machinery to a new global audience. Instead, what they’ve seen feels like indifference.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed. Across Reddit, X, and Facebook groups, fans are openly frustrated.

Fans upset with NASCAR coverage

“Wild that you don’t see anything about this on NASCAR social channels. Have to look at JJ, Legacy MC, and Hendrick Motorsports’ social media to know that this is going on. I feel like this is something worth celebrating.”

This is a very real complaint. According to fan coverage and community posts, most of the public visibility for this landmark event is coming from Legacy Motor Club, Jimmie Johnson’s own team, rather than NASCAR’s flagship channels. Legacy Motor Club posted about racing somewhere different this week on its X account.

But if you scroll through NASCAR’s main social media, the headlines and promos are far quieter. Reddit threads are full of fans saying they only heard about the demo via insiders like Steven Taranto, Legacy Motor Club, or 23XI Racing. For many, this is a missed opportunity: a major cross-continental moment that isn’t being shouted from the top of NASCAR’s own megaphone.

“Sad that NASCAR posted nothing about this, neither any mention nor mainstream media coverage, everything I’ve seen so far is from Taranto, Bozi, and LMC.” This frustration has real backing.

Several media outlets have reported on the event (like Racer and SpeedwayMedia), but many of the most passionate fans takes are coming from niche or independent voices, not headline NASCAR media. On forums like Reddit, users note that coverage is overwhelmingly coming from Legacy Motor Club, Steven Taranto, and others, rather than mainstream NASCAR broadcast or social pages.

Some fans feel that NASCAR itself is underplaying the moment, even though Johnson’s demo in his Garage 56 car is a major symbolic act. For longtime watchers, it’s not just about showing up; it’s about being seen, celebrated, and amplified, and many feel that is not happening here.

“Hear me out, Japanese leg of the NASCAR championship, 1 race at Fuji, 1 race at Motegi twin ring, and finish with a street race at Odaiba.” Some fans are dreaming big, imagining a full NASCAR championship in Japan, not just a demo run. While that’s not on the books, the fact that NASCAR cars are at Fuji Speedway for a Super Taikyu exhibition is still a huge deal.

This weekend (Nov 15–16, 2025), six NASCAR machines, including Jimmie Johnson’s famous Garage 56 Camaro, will run a demonstration during the Super Taikyu finale. The event also marks the launch of a new “ST-USA” class in Super Taikyu, which allows American cars like Corvettes and Mustangs. While NASCAR hasn’t officially announced a full Japanese series or championship, the groundwork for deeper engagement is being laid, and fans are clearly speculating about what’s next.

“NASCAR needs to rebuild the Fuji Speedway banked oval.” Some long-time fans are pointing out how old-school yet powerful NASCAR feels when running at Fuji, and arguing that the track infrastructure is holding things back.

While there’s no banked oval at Fuji Speedway today (it’s a road course), the fan sentiment speaks to a deeper longing: they want NASCAR-style racing in Japan to feel fully “authentic,” not just a sideshow.

That said, the exhibition is already historic, marking part of a strategic push by Toyota and the Super Taikyu Mirai Organization (STMO) to introduce American performance vehicles to Japan. Rebuilding or updating a track to host a full NASCAR oval race would be costly and complex, but these fan bets show how passionate people are about the idea.

“I guess this is gonna be the closest that we’ll get to an exhibition race in Japan.” You’re not alone. This sentiment is echoed by many fans who see Johnson’s Fuji demo as a once-in-a-generation kind of event. According to reports, this is NASCAR’s first demonstration at a Japanese circuit in nearly 30 years. Back in the 1990s, NASCAR ran exhibition-like events in Japan (for example, at Suzuka and Motegi), but nothing quite like this has been done in the modern era.

Because this is not a full championship race but a demo run, many fans feel this might be as close as we’ll come to seeing NASCAR run in Japan. The ST-USA class introduction and the high-profile involvement of Johnson and John Hunter Nemechek add historical weight, but it may still stay in the realm of exhibition, at least for now.