Jimmie Johnson is not stepping away from the racetrack anytime soon. The seven-time Cup Series champion will be returning for select races in the 2025 season, piloting the No. 84 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club. The Hall of Famer will attempt to qualify for ‘The Great American Race’ as an ‘open’ team, which would be his 22nd appearance at the iconic event should he succeed. Johnson epitomizes longevity, having competed at NASCAR’s highest level as a full-time racer since 2002.

However, Johnson’s remarkable achievement isn’t stopping others from making fun at his expense. Shaquille O’Neal recently shared a lighthearted joke about the California native’s Daytona 500 appearance, prompting the veteran driver to play along with some banter of his own as well.

Jimmie Johnson responds to Shaquille O’Neal’s tongue-in-cheek comment

He might be past his prime, but Jimmie Johnson is hungrier than ever to succeed on the racetrack. The Legacy Motor Club owner retired from full-time driving in 2020, but that won’t be stopping him from competing in a few crown jewel races this year. Johnson has publicly said that he will attempt to qualify the Carvana car for the 2025 Daytona 500 race, as well as the Coca-Cola 600 later this year. Sharing his plans for the upcoming season, the veteran driver said, “These two races hold a special place in my heart, and I’ve always loved the energy and excitement that surrounds them.”

The announcement led to some friendly banter between Shaquille O’Neal and Jimmie Johnson. Upon hearing the news, the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar wrote on X, “Dang, @jimmiejohnson going for another Daytona?! 22 years not enough for you?” In response, Johnson, who won seven championships with Hendrick Motorsports went on to say, “You know it, @SHAQ? I’ve still got the drive. What about you, how’s that jump shot these days?” The social media exchange between two sporting icons left fans dumbfounded, as many of them didn’t anticipate such a crossover taking place.

Johnson’s dig comes at the expense of Shaquille O’Neal’s well-known struggles with his jump shot during his NBA career. Despite being a dominant force in the paint, Shaq struggled to shoot the ball from the 8-12 feet region and his struggles were even more glaring from the three-point line. The 4x NBA Champion has famously made just one three-pointer in his entire career out of just 22 attempts. Shaq also competed in the NBA way past his prime for teams like the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers where he was minimized to a bench role with limited production. Yet. that didn’t stop him from taking a dig at Johnson’s prolonged career.

Jimmie Johnson competed in nine races during the 2024 season but didn’t manage a single top-26 finish in a point-paying race, including the Daytona 500. He narrowly qualified for the season-opener after overtaking J. J. Yeley on the final lap of the Bluegreen Vacations Duel No. 2. If he does manage to qualify for ‘The Great American Race’ and the Coca-Cola 600 this year, the 49-year-old will have made his 700th Cup Series start, a staggering achievement in his illustrious career. As things stand, it’s unclear if the veteran driver will only compete in two events this year, with plans for other races not being announced yet.

2025 will be an important year for Legacy Motor Club. The team switched to Toyota last year, but Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek struggled in their respective cars, securing one top-five and six top-10 finishes combined. As for Johnson, nothing but a race win would suffice in either of the events he is competing in. His NASCAR legacy is unmatched, having secured 83 wins, 232 top-fives, and 374 top-10s in the Cup Series. However, it’s also no secret that the veteran is well past his prime, and it’s only a matter of time before he retires from part-time racing as well.

Fans stunned by Johnson and O’Neal’s social media exchange

It’s not a crossover fans expected. Many fans didn’t even know Jimmie Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal knew each other, or the fact that the retired basketball star followed NASCAR in any capacity. Seeing two icons of their respective sports engage in friendly banter on social media was a treat for many, but that didn’t stop them from adding fuel to the fire. After reading Johnson’s response to O’Neal’s tweet, one fan fanned the flames by saying, “Damn, Jimmie!” Echoing that sentiment, another X user couldn’t help but laugh at the tweets being shared between the two superstars and simply wrote, “LMAOOOOO.”

With both Johnson and O’Neal questioning each other’s capability to still perform in their respective sports, one fan urged the veteran NASCAR driver to take it one step further by questioning the basketball star’s basic abilities. The X user wrote, “Asking if he’s improved on the free throw shooting would’ve also been elite right here.” Notably, the Big Diesel only averaged 52.7% from the free throw line, way below the league average of 74%. Another sports enthusiast simply said, “Game recognise Game” as both of them have been at the top of their respective sports at one time in their careers with Shaquille O’Neal famously winning three straight Finals MVP awards from 2000 to 2002.

Reading tweets by two sports stars that were unlikely to have a crossover was quite surprising for many fans, with one X user writing, “Shaq x Jimmie tweet wasn’t on the bingo card today.” However, the friendly banter between Jimmie Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal was well-received by the majority of fans, who took it as nothing less than lighthearted humor between two great athletes.