The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to mark Jimmie Johnson’s 23rd year competing in at least one start in the series and third as an owner/driver of his team, Legacy Motor Club. With both the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on his radar for this upcoming season, Johnson’s quest to a milestone 700 starts in NASCAR’s premier series is en route. Before the quest for 700 further develops in late spring this year, he enters this week’s Daytona Speedweeks festivities at Daytona International Speedway with a unique milestone in place. Should Johnson achieve a starting spot for this year’s 67th running of the Daytona 500, it would mark his 22nd career start in the Great America Race.
A native of El Cajon, California, Johnson’s first Daytona 500 start occurred in 2002, where he was driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports (HMS). For the event, he started on pole position, which marked his first pole of his Cup Series career and he became the first rookie competitor to win the pole for the Great American Race since Mike Skinner made the previous accomplishment in 1997. During the main event, Johnson was involved in two late-race incidents, including an 18-car pileup with 50 laps remaining, and settled in 15th place while being the first competitor a lap down. Over his next three Daytona 500 starts, Johnson finished in the top five. Within the span, he finished as high as third in 2003 while he finished fifth in his next two starts.
Then came the 2006 season, where Johnson and the No. 48 HMS Chevrolet team commenced a new year of racing under scrutiny due to crew chief Chad Knaus being suspended for the majority of the Daytona Speedweeks festivities, including the 48th running of the Daytona 500. Knaus was suspended for making illegal modifications to the rear window of Johnson’s car during the pole position qualifying trials. As a result, engineer Darian Grubb replaced the suspended Knaus for the Great American Race. During the 2006 Daytona 500, Johnson proceeded to lead 24 of 203 over-scheduled laps and fended off the field during a two-lap shootout, including late challenges from Ryan Newman and Casey Mears, to win in his fifth start in the season-opening event. With the victory, he became the 30th competitor to win the Great American Race as he also recorded the sixth 500 victory for Hendrick Motorsports and the 19th for the Chevrolet nameplate. The 2006 Daytona 500 win would mark the first of five season victories for Johnson, who would also win the non-points All-Star Race and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before he achieved his first Cup Series championship.
Following his first victory in 2006, Johnson would then endure a difficult stretch over his next six Daytona 500 starts. Despite winning his second Daytona 500 pole in 2008, he averaged a finishing result of 33.5 and finished no higher than 27th twice, both of which occurred in 2008 and 2011. Within the stretch, he did not finish in three Daytona 500s: two in 2007 and 2012 due to accidents and one in 2010 due to a rear axle issue. In addition, he was involved in on-track incidents in all but the 2010 event. Amid the low Daytona 500 results, Johnson rallied to win the overall Cup Series’ championship from 2007 to 2010.
Then in 2013, Johnson rose back to the occasion and notched his second Daytona 500 victory in an event where he led 17 of 200 laps, including the final 10, and fended off a last-lap charge from teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. As a result, the five-time Cup champion became the 10th competitor to win the Great American Race multiple times as he delivered the seventh 500 victory for HMS and the 22nd for the Chevrolet nameplate. He also delivered the first Daytona 500 triumph for his five-time championship-winning crew chief Chad Knaus. Ironically, Johnson, who was making his 12th 500 start, won in his 400th career start in NASCAR’s premier series, where he joined Lee Petty, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Dave Marcis and Dale Earnhardt as competitors who have also achieved the similar feat. Similar to the 2006 season, Johnson would proceed to win the 2013 overall championship with Knaus, which marked the sixth of the duo’s illustrious career.
Since winning his second victory in 2013, Johnson would finish in the top nine three times over his next seven Daytona 500 starts. Within the span, he finished as high as fifth twice in back-to-back seasons during 2014 and 2015. Amid the results, he was strapped with three DNFs over his final four Daytona 500 starts as a full-time competitor, including his final one during 2020 campaign. By then, he had achieved his record-tying seventh Cup Series championship in 2016 and was preparing to transition into the NTT IndyCar Series division with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Beginning in 2023, Johnson returned to NASCAR competition, where he purchased an ownership stake in Legacy Motor Club (LMC), an organization that had been rebranded from Petty GMS Motorsports and Richard Petty Motorsports. As part of his ownership, Johnson would also compete in select Cup events in the No. 84 LMC Chevrolet entry, which included the Daytona 500. During Johnson’s first qualifying trials in the No. 84 entry, he qualified for the 65th running of the Daytona 500, which marked his 20th entrance into the Great American Race. Despite racing in the top-10 mark in the closing stages, he was involved in an overtime accident and settled in 31st place.
This past season, where LMC changed manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota, Johnson did not guarantee himself a spot for the 66th running of the Daytona 500 based on his qualifying speed, but he managed to overtake veteran J.J. Yeley on the final lap to claim a transfer spot from the first Daytona Duel. During the main event, however, Johnson was involved in a multi-car wreck on the fifth lap and could climb his way no higher than 28th in the final running order.
Through 21 previous starts in the Daytona 500, Johnson has achieved two victories, two poles, seven top-five results, eight top-10 results, 151 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.6. Currently, he holds the most career starts in the season-opening event among the 45 competitors entered to compete in 2025. In addition to notching a starting berth for the 500 for a 22nd time, a victory in 2025 would move him into a five-way tie for the third-most Daytona 500 victories in history alongside Bobby Allison, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Dale Jarrett. It would also mark the fourth overall victory for the Toyota nameplate in the Great American Race and the first for Legacy Motor Club under its new branded name as Johnson holds major ownership of the organization. As an added bonus, Johnson would become the first competitor to repeat as a Daytona 500 champion since Denny Hamlin made the previous accomplishment in 2020.
Since Johnson is competing in a non-chartered entry, he will have to earn a starting spot for this year’s Daytona 500 either through the Cup Series’ pole qualifying session on Wednesday, February 12, or through one of two Daytona Duels on Thursday, February 13, while also outpacing additional non-chartered competitors. The qualifying session on Wednesday will begin airing at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1 while the Duels will begin airing at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
The 2025 Daytona 500 is scheduled to occur on February 16 with a starting broadcast time of 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
