Jimmie Johnson Still Sounds Uncertain About His 2026 Plans
What’s Happening? Since retiring from full-time racing in 2020, NASCAR Cup Series legend Jimmie Johnson has continued racing as a part-time…
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A new post on social media has NASCAR fans wondering if Jimmie Johnson is hinting at racing in his second-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race this coming season.
Though Jimmie Johnson has garnered a reputation for racing in almost anything he can get behind the wheel of, the NASCAR Hall of Famer has only raced in one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race throughout his storied career.
This one-off start occurred in 2008, during the midst of his five-in-a-row championship stretch from 2005 to 2010, with Johnson piloting a Lowe’s-sponsored No. 81 Silverado for Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
While many fans may have never heard about this effort or forgotten it happened, as the truck started ninth and finished 34th, Johnson seemingly hasn’t forgotten, as the now part-time driver and full-time team owner posted a picture of himself with this No. 81 truck on his social media Tuesday evening.
Though this could be a simple reflection on a unique moment from his career, something he has done before, the lack of a caption, and the somewhat random nature of this post are making NASCAR fans suspicious.
Even though the image was far from a clear hint at anything, the post has since spread across the NASCAR fanbase, with over 150,000 views from fans speculating that seven-time could make his first truck start since 2008 in the coming season.
Only adding fuel to this fire was his NASCAR Cup Series team, Legacy Motor Club, responding with the ‘🧐’ emoji, somewhat validating fan suspicions that there is more to this post than just a reflection on his somewhat forgotten one-off effort.
Since returning as an owner/driver in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2023, Johnson has made 14 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.
In 2023, Johnson entered three races, and in 2024, he expanded this effort in the No. 84 car to nine. However, entering this season, Johnson had only announced two scheduled starts, his 699th and 700th Cup Series races of his career.
This decision has left fans wondering if these two starts might mark the end of the NASCAR legend’s career.
This debate over his future racing in NASCAR is one that Johnson has admitted he is struggling with himself. The veteran driver even told Kevin Harvick on the August 21 episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour that he realizes he has a greater impact for LMC when he is not on track, but in the hospitality suite.
“I am finding that I am more impactful for the business side of the house out of the car and in the suite, or in our hospitality area with sponsors,” Johnson said.
However, this doesn’t mean he wants to stop racing, as he reiterated during a September episode of his Never Settle podcast, stating that he plans to continue racing during a discussion about a key race date on the 2026 schedule.
What’s Happening? Since retiring from full-time racing in 2020, NASCAR Cup Series legend Jimmie Johnson has continued racing as a part-time…
This summer, NASCAR announced that its 2026 street race will be held at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. As part of this announcement, Johnson, a Southern California native, joined NASCAR officials to meet with the media.
During this media availability, Johnson said, “I want to keep going. I want to stay in a car,” though he also clarified that, at the time, he had no plans to race at San Diego.
In the aforementioned September episode of Never Settle, he was once again asked about racing at San Diego by his co-host, Marty Smith. Johnson predicted favorable odds that he would secure a sponsor for the race, stating there was a 99.9% chance “that I end up there.”
This is where some fans are speculating the Truck Series could come into the fold, as that weekend will mark the first-ever tripleheader street race in NASCAR history, with the Crastman Trucks, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and NASCAR Cup Series all taking on Naval Base Coronado.
But, for now, this is just speculation, as Johnson has yet to announce any concrete plans to race at Coronado, in a truck, or at all in the coming season. However, as the offseason rumor mill ramps up, don’t expect any rumors or speculation about Johnson’s 2026 plans to slow down.
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