“Not really worrying about anything,” Jimmie Johnson had a blast in his Cup series return 

Unfortunately, Jimmie Johnson scored the lowest finish among the charters at Daytona.

“Not really worrying about anything,” Jimmie Johnson had a blast in his Cup series return 

Jimmie Johnson

Seven times champion Jimmie Johnson marked his return to the Cup series with a solid run in the 2023 Daytona 500. He drove the No:84 Camaro ZL1 for his team LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. JJ, who started the race at P40 in the last row alongside Travis Pastrana, finished at P31 after an unfortunate crash towards the end of the race.

Johnson, who topped the first Cup practice,  started the race smoothly and climbed up to the top 10 towards the end of stage 2. A pitlane penalty for speeding delayed his plans for further progress. He once worked his way up the track and was racing on P12 when he was caught up in a 12-car crash.

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But Johnson was capable of proving his doubters wrong. He just needs to dust off some rust resulting from his retirement and two-year IndyCar stint.  During his post-race interview, the HMS legend pointed out that he enjoyed the return and was free since he didn’t have to worry about anything other than focusing on a top-10 finish.

“I had a blast. That was fun. That was so nice not worrying about stage points — and I even got a few — and not really worrying about anything. It was just about trying to get to the finish for the checkered flag, and I was one lap away,” Johnson told Bob Pockras.

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Jimmie Johnson plans to run one more race before Chicago

Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson
Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson

The inaugural Chicago Street Race and the Daytona 500 were the two races JJ was announced to start. There other 4 races are yet to be decided. He during the media session revealed that one of those races would be before the street race.

So, he will run one more race between March and July. The team has yet to decide on the track, but Johnson insists it will happen. “It will be before Chicago, I know that. But we’re getting close,”.

Unlike the Daytona, the upcoming race will be more of a challenge for Johnson. The superspeedway racing is unpredictable and random. But the drivers and teams have to step up when the race gets to the regular oval. Johnson, who now has nearly full control over LEGACY MC’s front office, is responsible for running the team smoothly on his shoulders.

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