Despite retiring as a full-time racer from NASCAR several years ago, racing has not left Jimmie Johnson‘s DNA as he will represent Legacy Motor Club in the fourth season of the Extreme E series this year. The competition is an international off-road series that utilizes electric vehicles instead of traditional motors. As the world takes a step toward carbon neutrality, the seven-time Cup Series champion is one of the biggest names to move to the circuit.

To further emphasize his commitment to the ambitious project and a greener future, on the occasion of Earth Day, Johnson even shared a special message with his fans about the series and his love for the planet.

Jimmie Johnson is taking a step toward a better future

The former Hendrick Motorsports driver has a lot of sporting passions apart from racing. He spoke about all of those things in a recent video on his Instagram handle where he hailed Extreme E for doing their utmost to combat climate change. Racing in the Extreme E series will not be unfamiliar for the 48-year-old whose career began with off-road racing. NASCAR may be a long way from fully becoming an electric series, but Jimmie Johnson’s move will certainly inspire them to work harder towards achieving that goal.

“Happy Earth Day. I love this beautiful planet that we are on and I try to experience it in any way possible, some on skis, some on mountain bikes, road bikes, running, swimming, hiking, whatever it might be. I am so thankful to have the experiences I do outdoors and also so thankful to be able to race all around the world in a variety of different vehicles and different things,” he said in the video, which showcased him taking part in several activities such as racing, cycling, and marathons among others.

Furthermore, the team owner also extended his thankfulness to the Extreme E series for their efforts toward the climate change crisis. “I am very very proud of the partnership Legacy Motor Club has with Extreme E and their conscious effort to control their carbon footprint and the focus for sustainability that Extreme E has and to celebrate that all on Earth Day today,” Johnson shared.

While Legacy Motor Club is struggling to make an impression in the Cup Series, maybe it will have better luck in the FIA-sanctioned electric off-road competition, and Johnson is not going to be alone in this.

Why did the 7-time Cup Series champion choose an off-road racing series?

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The news of the former Cup Series champion taking part in the series was broken in February this year and he will have 19-year-old Gary Leadbetter as his teammate. Notably, as Johnson missed the first two rounds of the series, 16-time X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana filled in for the driver. However, Johnson’s participation might lead many to question the reason behind this decision. Well, there are a lot of reasons for Johnson to agree to racing in such a competition at his age. The biggest one is undoubtedly sustainability but there are also reasons like representing the US on a global stage. Factors like gender equality and inclusion also played a part, as per the former NASCAR star.

“Our goal is to learn as much as we can and see what the future might bring. The fact this series competes globally, focuses on sustainably, inclusion, and gender equality really perks our interest,” he said as per RACER, before adding, “From a technical standpoint the changeover to hydrogen in 2025 is really intriguing and the entire motorsports community is watching closely. Personally for me as a driver, going back to my off-road roots and to the type of racing I started my career with is going to be a blast.”

It will be interesting to see how the seven-time Cup Series champion fares in a global series with the eyes of the international motorsports community on him. Will he be able to earn race victories? Only time will tell.