It’s not precisely fair to say NASCAR racing was a kinder, gentler art form during Jimmie Johnson’s most productive years.
Nevertheless, the NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time Cup Series champion acknowledged being taken aback by some of the rough stuff he experienced in Friday’s Navy 250 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at San Diego Street Course at Naval Base Coronado.
“Yesterday, I just couldn’t believe the disrespect that everybody had from the jump,” Johnson said in a Saturday morning question-and-answer session with reporters. “I mean, just gouging each other nonstop, and I was up at the front racing away and we were pointing each other by, and I was like, ‘This is old school Cup, this makes sense.’
“The way the fuel cycle worked out, I entered mid-pack and I look around and I saw these trucks all twisted up, and I thought (they) had hit the wall, and I guess maybe some did, but it was all from bashing into one another on the track.
“And then I got turned around twice, just last second lunges into areas that nobody should have been. So, it is what it is. When I look at my Instagram feed or my twitter feed and see the local short tracks and behavior there, man, it’s just wild. So we’ll see where it goes.”
It’s not that Johnson didn’t enjoy his second Truck Series start, which came 18 years after his debut. After qualifying fourth in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota, he ran in the top five for much of the afternoon—leading two laps—before finishing 30th after spinning twice in the final stage.
Johnson, co-owner of the LEGACY Motor Club Cup Series team, has announced that the 2027 DAYTONA 500 will be his final Cup Series race, but the Truck Series is another matter.
“I’m not against running trucks some more, had so much fun yesterday and then I’m looking at a few other different championships to dabble in next year, kind of going back to my roots with some off-road racing and trucks,” said Johnson, a native of nearby El Cajon.
“I guess I like trucks, but trying to find a good balance of events I can run. First and foremost, take off those bucket list events I want to do, and then, two, with LEGACY’s vision and how hospitality experiential and other platforms can make sense.”
Johnson will race for LEGACY on Sunday in the Anduril 250. He qualified 36th on Saturday for the historic event.
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