Jeff Gordon shares advice for Jimmie Johnson ahead of final NASCAR season

Gordon thinks the seven-time champ could actually be a little “dangerous” in his last NASCAR season.

When his 19th full-time NASCAR Cup Series season ends in 2020, Jimmie Johnson will call it a career — one that includes a record-tying seven championships and 83 wins, putting him in a tie for No. 6 on the all-time wins list.

Throughout nearly two decades, fellow NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon has been there with Johnson. Gordon encouraged Rick Hendrick to sign Johnson in 2001 and build a team around him. The two were then teammates until 2015, when Gordon stepped away from full-time racing, and Gordon also has an ownership stake with Hendrick Motorsports, which includes the No. 48 Chevrolet team.

Following Johnson’s retirement announcement on social media Wednesday, Gordon spoke with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and shared his thoughts on the seven-time champ’s news and what advice he offered ahead of the 44-year-old driver’s final season.

Gordon said:

“I just told him, ‘Get ready because it’s going to be an emotional roller coaster, and enjoy the ride.’ If I know Jimmie, it was a tough decision. It probably was weighing on him of when the right time to make the decision was. But now that he’s made it, I think this huge weight has been lifted off, and you’re going to see a guy enjoying life, enjoying every moment, enjoying the fans and out there possibly racing with a freedom that he hasn’t in a long time. And that could be dangerous for the competitors out there.”

Although the No. 48 team recently inked a sponsorship extension with Ally Racing through 2023, it wasn’t tied specifically to Johnson being the driver. That only added to the speculation about Johnson’s future with his three-year contract extension ending after the 2020 season as well.

Despite being the winningest driver of his generation and unquestionably in the NASCAR GOAT debate, Johnson and co. are in a bit of a slump.

His last win was in June of 2017, and he didn’t make the playoffs this year — a first in his 18 full-time seasons. As Johnson said in his video announcement, he’s chasing that record-breaking eighth championship one last time, but at this point, he’d probably also be happy winning a race in his final season.

While his winless streak didn’t extend across multiple seasons, Gordon went through most of his retirement tour in 2015 without a trip to Victory Lane. It wasn’t until Martinsville Speedway in early November that Gordon won the final checkered flag of his Cup career, and he’d love to see Johnson go out on a similar high note.

Gordon continued on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:

“I believe that [Johnson] still has every bit of ability to do that. I think that the 48 team does as well. Ally’s been a great partner to step up and support that effort, and Hendrick Motorsports and everybody — I think they have what it takes, but we’ve just got to get everything aligned for him. And I know he’s going to be working really hard to make sure that everything is set, and so is Rick Hendrick.

“I know he’s highly motivated. He’s been wanting to get Jimmie that eighth championship for a long time, and I just can’t imagine more effort being put in to making it a successful year for them, whether it’s winning a race or multiple races or a championship or make the final four. But certainly, if you look at who’s deserving to accomplish those things and go out that way, no doubt about it, Jimmie would rise to the top of the list.”

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