Jimmie Johnson Believes His Inclusion in the Hall of Fame Is a Little Premature

For a NASCAR driver, there is perhaps no greater achievement than to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. After all, to join the sport’s most iconic drivers, crew chiefs and team owners is in itself a great indicator of the impact an entity has had during their career. And who can understand that better than 7X Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, who wasn’t just inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, but also the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. However, that’s not all!

Johnson is also set to be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame in June. While many would like to believe that the driver/co-owner couldn’t be happier with this grand acknowledgement of his decorated career, the driver feels it may have come a little too soon.

Should Jimmie Johnson have been inducted into the Hall of Fame much later?

Only a few days ago, Jimmie Johnson was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, honoring his stock car domination with 83 Cup wins and 7 championships. With the induction into the West Coast HoF imminent, it’s safe to say Johnson couldn’t have ended his full-time career on a higher note. However, it’s worth mentioning that while most drivers are already retired by the time they make it into the HoF, Johnson still races part-tile in the Cup Series, and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Naturally, the LMC co-owner feels split down the middle regarding his inductions, sharing the benefits a young driver in the HoF brings for NASCAR, whilst also highlighting his personal wishes for when it should have occurred. Johnson shared, “I think it’s twofold, I mean I do feel like the younger drivers help draw a bit more attention, help put more eyeballs on the particular ceremony that’s taking place. So I think that’s helpful, but I do feel like if it was 20 years from now and my opportunity to reflect back on it, it would certainly, and this is not in anyway a respectful way to phrase it, but it would be more meaningful.”

Since Johnson is still an active driver, the reality of his induction had not fully kicked in, feeling that his focus could only remain on what was ahead, feeling that right now was not the perfect time for reflection. Only once you’ve stopped doing something, do you truly realise the value behind it. Johnson added, “It means the world right now, I am absolutely loving this experience but I think the further you are away from holding the steering wheel, the deeper reflection that you have and the greater appreciation that one will have for their time behind the wheel.”

Reflecting on the fact that Johnson was still an active driver much like fellow HoF inductee Scott Dixon, the LMC co-owner felt he could only spend so much energy on taking in his induction and appreciating it whilst maintaining focus on racing. He concluded, “So we’re at the max of what we can experience in this moment. But I do think 20 years from now the moment would have a bit more weight to it.”

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While it’s safe to say Jimmie Johnson isn’t able to fully appreciate or embrace the monumental inductions that have been bestowed upon him just yet, the 48-year-old shows no signs of hanging up the gloves anytime soon.

Jimmie Johnson reveals the expectations from his 2024 racing schedule

As Jimmie Johnson highlighted how it would take him over a few decades to truly appreciate the induction, one question has been asked by JJ fans for quite some time now. When does Jimmie Johnson plan on retiring from motorsport completely? Fortunately, it’s safe to say that day isn’t going to come anytime soon. But all good things must come to an end eventually, and Johnson also shared the factors that will determine the longevity of his career henceforth.

“There’s a few factors that go into it. One, my performance.” Johnson shared with X, “You know, I want to make sure that I’m in the mix, not that I have to win races, I’d love to course, and I want to make sure that I’m in the mix and the time it takes to do this, it’s really worth it from that standpoint.” After all, if the prospect of top-ten finishes and competence isn’t really in the books, Johnson would have nothing left to prove.

With that said Johnson also felt TRD’s support would be crucial in determining how long he still races. JJ added, “The next piece is partners and sponsorship, obviously our manufacturers are Toyota, and if it makes sense for them and if it’s helping the program. So there’s probably three or four different lanes that need to make sense.” Reflecting on how Johnson had extended a 3-5 race plan for 2023 into a nine-race campaign, the LMC owner felt this year would bring in even more appearances across different categories!

Johnson concluded, “I’m personally opening to probably a fifteen-race schedule, but that would include sports cars and vintage classic car racing plus NASCAR, all of that lumped into one. So in my mind, I’m looking for that 15-race schedule, marquee events, and unique events. I’d love to diversify and be back in sports cars in Le Mans or the Rolex 24. I will drive some extreme e-races this year and I’m really excited for that experience.”

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While Jimmie Johnson’s Hall of Fame inductions may have put him in the same bracket as some of the sport’s most successful veterans, Johnson isn’t done just yet with the world of motorsports!