At the conclusion of the 2020 Cup Series season, Jimmie Johnson brought an end to one of NASCAR’s finest careers. The seven-time champion left Hendrick Motorsports with 83 Cup Series victories and a legacy only a few legends could equal after 19 seasons behind the wheel of the legendary No. 48 Chevrolet. However, his racing career did not stop with retirement. Rather, Johnson made the unexpected decision to switch to IndyCar, and he has now disclosed the very personal rationale for that choice.

A fresh start for Jimmie Johnson

“As a kid, that was kind of a dream of mine. And I’m like, I’m just going to give it a shot, man. This is for me. Like, I was over all the outside pressure and noise of competing. I’m like, I don’t care if I run last, you know?” Johnson said on the Bussin with the Boys podcast.

“This is something I want to do, and it’s for me. I found the right team and right sponsor and put it together.”

He made one of the most daring career decisions in modern-day motorsports, and his remarks summed up exactly why he did it. Even though success was far from certain, Johnson decided to follow a longstanding goal in IndyCar instead of pursuing more NASCAR victories.

Before committing to a full-time ride in the NTT IndyCar Series for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Johnson first tested an IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing in late 2020. The shift turned out to be significantly more challenging than many anticipated. Compared to stock cars, driving high-downforce, open-wheel vehicles on road and street circuits required a completely different skill set.

Johnson struggled to keep up with experienced IndyCar drivers, often ran near the back of the field, and was involved in several spins and crashes. His two-year experiment came to an end on September 26, 2022, when he announced he would step away from full-time racing.

Looking back, though, Johnson sees that chapter differently than most people do. He explained that after nearly 20 years in NASCAR, he had reached a point of physical and mental exhaustion. A 38-race Cup schedule, constant testing, simulator sessions, and more than 150 sponsor appearances every season had left him feeling “cooked.”

Instead of giving up racing completely, he sought something that would give him greater control over his life and rekindle his childhood enthusiasm. That mindset also explains why results became secondary. Johnson was resolved to experience IndyCar on his own terms because it symbolized the childhood ambition he had never realized. He wanted the satisfaction of knowing that he had taken the chance while he could, even if it meant finishing at the back of the race.

In the end, Johnson’s IndyCar journey may not have added another championship to his résumé. But it delivered something equally meaningful. After spending nearly 20 years carrying the weight of NASCAR expectations, he finally found an opportunity where the only person he needed to satisfy was himself.

Johnson still isn’t finished writing his NASCAR story

Although his IndyCar chapter ended in 2022, Jimmie Johnson never completely stepped away from NASCAR. As co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, he has continued making select Cup Series starts while helping guide the organization’s long-term future.

Johnson competed in the 2026 Daytona 500, driving the No. 84 Toyota after securing a place in the field through the Open Exemption Provisional. He ultimately finished 29th. Later that season, the El Cajon native also took part in NASCAR’s inaugural Cup Series weekend at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. Here, he piloted the No. 84 to a 28th-place finish in front of a hometown crowd.

However, Johnson has already revealed when the final chapter of his remarkable driving career will arrive. The seven-time champion announced that the 2027 Daytona 500 will serve as his farewell NASCAR Cup Series start. He will drive the No. 13 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club.

For Johnson, the ending appears perfectly fitting. After accomplishing everything imaginable in NASCAR and fulfilling a lifelong IndyCar dream, he will return to Daytona one final time. And it’s not to prove anything, but to celebrate a career built on chasing challenges, even when the outcome was never guaranteed.