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Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson announced Saturday that the 2027 Daytona 500 will be his last in the Cup series.
Johnson, who has taken home the checkered flag in the big race twice, wants to continue competing in other series, perhaps even other NASCAR events, but he won’t return to the top level of stock car racing again.
“I’ve been fortunate to achieve more than I ever imagined in this sport,” Johnson said. “The last six years have given me the freedom to choose where I compete and, more importantly, the clarity to understand where I am needed most. I am going to focus all my energy on leading and building a world-class organization.”
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Jimmie Johnson (#84 Legacy Motor Club Carvana Toyota) waves to the crowd before the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 Duel 1 race on February 12, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Jimmie Johnson is a champion in every aspect of his life: with his family, as a leader of the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and with his incredible success behind the wheel,” Toyota Vice President Tyler Gibbs said in a statement. “As he prepares to close the chapter of his iconic career on the NASCAR track, we celebrate his legacy in the sport and look forward to what we will continue to accomplish together in the years to come.”
His seven titles are tied for the most in NASCAR history, along with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. He won his first five titles consecutively between 2006 and 2010, followed by titles in 2013 and 2016.
Jimmie Johnson (48) wins the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship after winning the FORD EcoBoost 400 race on November 20, 2016 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. (Stephen A. Arce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Johnson stopped driving full-time after the 2020 season and racked up 83 Cup Series wins.
He competed in the IndyCar Series for two seasons (2021-22), became part owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and participated in several major events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and an Unlimited Hydroplane at Seafair.
On Sunday he will make his 23rd start in the Daytona 500, having won in 2006 and 2013.
“It’s the only race where you get a title,” Johnson said earlier this week. “I was lucky enough to experience that. You leave here and whatever you do, you get a degree. I never had a degree in my life. That speaks to the importance of the career, the magnitude of the career, the story behind it all.
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
“You get a title and you remember it every time you’re introduced.”
