Jimmie Johnson announces 2020 will be his final NASCAR season

Jimmie Johnson will retire as a full-time driver after the 2020 NASCAR season.

NASCAR icon Jimmie Johnson, who has won the sport’s premier championship seven times over the course of his career, is coming back for one more season.

Fans and analysts have been speculating over Johnson’s long-term future in NASCAR for years, and Johnson is about to enter the final year of his contract with Hendrick Motorsports, which runs through the 2020 season. In a video posted on social media, Johnson revealed that the 2020 season will be his last as a full-time driver, as he attempts to win a record eighth NASCAR title to surpass Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.

“I’m so thankful for 18 incredible years of racing in NASCAR. The sport has been good to me, and has allowed me to do something I truly love. I showed up chasing a dream, and achieved more than I ever thought possible. I’m looking forward to next season, and celebrating what will be my last year as a full-time NASCAR cup driver.

I know what this team is capable of, and I hope 2020 is one of the best yet.”

Johnson arrived in what was then called the Winston Cup Series in 2001, and quickly won his first race in what was just his 13th career start the following season. Johnson opened his 2006 season by winning his first Daytona 500, and would go on to capture five consecutive series titles. He added another in 2013, and matched the all-time record held by Petty and Earnhardt in 2016 with his seventh title. Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 champion, a four-time Brickyard 400 champion, and his 83 career wins rank sixth all-time. Johnson has not won a race since 2017, but a win in his final year would place him in a tie with Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip on the all-time wins list.

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