They say one should welcome new beginnings, and for Jimmie Johnson, his time has come. The NASCAR legend has won plenty of accolades in his career—a seven-time Cup Series champion, a team owner, and a Daytona 500 contender—but this one might be his most unexpected yet. Fresh off his Daytona 500 run last week, Johnson did not waste a second before dropping a surprise on Sunday, instantly setting the NASCAR world buzzing and pulling every pair of eyeballs his way.

“Never [done anything like this before]. I’m checking off new opportunities, so it’s gonna be fun,” Johnson admitted before he decided to break the internet with his new adventures.

The 50-year-old is ready to take on his role as a crew chief!

Johnson confirmed to Above The Line media on Sunday that he will climb atop the pit box for four-time IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti when the NASCAR Truck Series heads to Saint Petersburg on February 28, sharing the track with IndyCar.

Franchitti prepares himself to pilot the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota, marking his first NASCAR start since 2008. The event will also be a first for Johnson, who has never served as a NASCAR crew chief. But there is no doubt that Johnson is well equipped for this role.

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His experience as a seven-time NASCAR Cup champion should prove invaluable to the IndyCar star looking to return to NASCAR competition.

Franchitti has limited experience in the Truck Series. Just one career start, a 33rd-place finish in 2007. He also made 18 starts in what was then the NASCAR Busch (O’Reilly) Series, recording one top-five finish and no victories. At the Cup level, the 52-year-old made 10 starts but did not score a top 10 finish.

However, things can look very different at St. Petersburg, the first time the Truck Series races on a road course and the first time the world gets to see a star-studded motorsport collaboration.

Johnson truly believes that a partnership could work out, given their history.

“Dario and my friendship is 20 or 30 years deep,” he said. “I talked him into driving a truck, and he said, ‘If I’m driving, I need you on the box.’. So I’ll be on the box doing my best not to mess him up.”

Moreover, the partnership and the team also make sense. The duo will team up at TRICON Garage, a Toyota-aligned organization and the manufacturer partner of Johnson’s NASCAR team, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.

And now it can be said with much certainty that all eyes will be on Johnson as he embarks on his new role, a shift not many fans saw coming.

Fans rally behind Johnson’s new role

Some immediately drew parallels to NASCAR royalty. “Taking a page from Dale Jr.‘s book,” one fan wrote, referencing the growing trend of drivers stepping into advisory or pit box roles after their full-time careers.

Just last year, Junior made his first stint as crew chief for Connor Zilisch in the Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway and went on to win it. Maybe this streak of a lucky crew chief debut may come true for Johnson.

However, others couldn’t resist stirring the pot with a little old-school edge.

“Hopefully he doesn’t use the techniques Chad Knaus used with him,” another quipped, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the intense crew chief-driver dynamic Johnson once had with Chad Knaus.

Then there were the reluctant converts; fans suddenly found their weekend plans rearranged.

“Dammit, now I have to watch the race,” one admitted, summing up the collective curiosity this pairing has sparked.

Of course, some reactions captured just how bizarre and brilliant the moment feels this year.

“I bet that’s on no one’s bingo card for 2026,” one fan posted, perfectly framing the unexpected nature of it all.

And perhaps the most telling reaction of them all was a simple reminder of how surreal the timeline feels.

“Tell this sentence to someone in 2019,” one wrote.

All these reactions paint a clear picture. People want to see Johnson back in action, even if it’s as a crew chief, and now the spotlight falls squarely on him as the Truck Series enters its road course debut.