By: Sarah Handy, Staff Writer
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series will return to on track competition at Darlington this Sunday.
The series has not raced since the checkered flag waved in the FanShield 500 at Phoenix Raceway back on March 8 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With that said, the pandemic made Johnson re-evaluate his decision to step away from full-time racing following this season.
Johnson spoke to Jim Rome on Wednesday, saying he thought some about retiring or holding off on his plans to do so.
But ultimately his decision hasn’t changed.
“Yeah, I thought about it some. I honestly made that decision and it is still top of mind. It is still the way I feel,” said Johnson. “I do have a lot of comfort knowing that we are going back racing. That position hasn’t changed since the Coronavirus kicked in, and my final year here in Cup is definitely different then I anticipated.”
https://player.vimeo.com/video/418161136
(Video Content Provided to KTT from: Chad Romiti / Jim Rome Show)
Johnson announced last November that 2020 would be his last full-time season.
#Chasing8 one final time pic.twitter.com/ZoldabKy9M
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) November 20, 2019
The El Cajon, California native is one of the most successful drivers in the history of NASCAR. He will close out 2020 with 19 full-time seasons under his belt.
As Sunday’s The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington approaches, Johnson has earned 83 wins, 228 top-five and 366 top-10 finishes in the NCS.
Oh, and seven championships, including five in a row spanning the 2006 to 2010 seasons.
Will Johnson be back in some form of NCS racing after 2020? He’s open to it.
Johnson has further stated that he’s not done racing and there are other forms of racing he would like to participate in.
“Not done with racing. I’m [done] with full time NASCAR racing. I know in the future; I will be back. I’m even open to being back in a Cup car,” Johnson told Jim Rome.