It’s a pretty outdated and done debate at this point, that whether NASCAR drivers are to be considered as athletes or not. The answer is, yes, they are athletes. But would you venture on to say that they are as athletic as, say someone like Tom Brady? Because Jimmie Johnson once did.

The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was asked in an interview a few years ago if he saw any difference between his and Brady’s athletic capabilities.

“A tie,” the Hendrick Motorsports driver answered. “I know that won’t play well in Boston.”

The driver went on to describe that his sport challenges him “on a different level,” that he has to “dig deep” to make things happen in a racecar that drives as high as 190mph for the most part.

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Jimmie Johnson gets high praise from Penske boss

The former Hendrick Motorsports driver made his full-time debut in the INDYCAR series in 2022. And his rookie year can best be termed as ‘okay’ with a few splashes of his brilliance seen here or there.

But that didn’t stop, Mark Miles, the CEO of Penske Entertainment, from showering Jimmie Johnson with praise while also hinting at some worry about his plans for next year.

“I can’t say enough positive things about him as a person, as a professional athlete, as a competitor, driver, and champion,” Miles said of Johnson. “We’ll take what we can get, but he has to make that decision of how many races he wants to compete in next season.”

“He has been in motorsports for a very long time. More is better if it works for him.”

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