By Roy J. Akers-www.skyviewsports.net
Charlotte, N.C. — Rainy days make me do the craziest things, and it has rained every day in Michigan this week. Luckily, it’s 75 and sunny in Charlotte. Jimmie Johnson’s third-place finish in the wreck-filled Daytona 500 got me thinking. So, let’s play a game. I will call it The Six Degrees of Jimmie Johnson. It’s timely because Johnson is making his 700th NASCAR start at Charlotte this weekend.
Jimmie Johnson has not been a regular Cup driver since the 2020 season. After he retired, he raced in Indy Car for two seasons and was elected to the NASCAR HOF in 2023. He has raced in a handful of events with less-than-Jimmie Johnson-like results and is part-owner of the Legacy Motorsports team. Still, his third-place finish at Daytona this year calls for what he has accomplished in that one race, more than full-time drivers have done near the halfway point of the 2025 regular season. The seven-time NASCAR champion is still racking up numbers and start 700 was not lost on him.
“I just saw Cliff Daniels, and he said – 700 starts, I guess your old. And I said – you are right, and you’ve been here for a lot of those, so you are old too (laughter). It’s wild how my first start just coincidentally comes the same place as my 700th start. It means a ton to me. I’m a numbers guy, and to have these numbers play out – literally on their own, is really special. Excited.” No. 84 Carvana Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
First Degree of Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson’s third-place finish at Daytona showed him with NO laps led. For the 2025 season, 44 scored Cup drivers have run laps, and in 12 races, 11 drivers of 44 have yet to lead a single lap. This includes: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Currently, Stenhouse Jr. is 14th in playoff points and would make the playoffs if the cutoff were the week of The Coca-Cola 600. You can make the 11 drivers mentioned above 19 if you include those that led eight laps or fewer in 2025.
Second Degree of Jimmie Johnson
Johnson’s Top-Five at the season-opening race in Daytona is matched by Legacy Motorsports teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek, who also have one top-five this season. Giving Legacy a total of 3 Top-five finishes. Nemechek is 18th in playoff standings.
Third Degree of Jimmie Johnson
Of the 44 drivers who have entered at least one Cup race this season, 36 have run all 12 events. Johnson is the only one to have a top-five performance among the eight drivers who have competed in fewer than 12 races and accomplished this in his only appearance. The other eight do not have even one top-ten performance among them. Johnson 1, the rest Zip, Zilch, Nada!
Fourth Degree of Jimmie Johnson
Of the 44 drivers who have raced at least once this season, 37 have yet to taste a victory in the series after 12 points races. Of that number, 12 of them have never won a NASCAR Cup race. This includes Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, and Noah Gragson.
5th Degree of Jimmie Johnson
Johnson’s 83 Cup victories came at 20 different tracks. Throughout his career, he has won at 20 of the 26 tracks at which he raced on, leaving the Charlotte Roval, Daytona Road Course, Chicagoland Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Rockingham Speedway, and Watkins Glen International the six tracks where he has failed to win. Three of those tracks are not on the NASCAR schedule. (Chicagoland, Kentucky, and Rockingham).
6th Degree of Jimmie Johnson
Johnson’s 11 victories at Dover International Speedway alone are more victories than 36 scored 2025 drivers have won in their entire NASCAR Cup careers at all tracks combined. (Blaney, Ky.Busch, Byron, Hamlin, Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Joey Logano all have 12 or more victories, and all needed multiple tracks to accumulate their win totals.
Now, to humble Jimmie, the King has won ten or more times at Rockingham (11), North Wilkesboro (15), Richmond (13), Martinsville (15), Daytona (10). Darrell Waltrip won 12 times at Bristol.
So Jimmie, enjoy your 700th start. You plan on racing even more. Now win one of them and show your Legacy drivers you still have it.
Roy J. Akers is a NASCAR reporter for www.skyviewsports.net
