Back in 2009, Patrick purchased a vineyard on Howell Mountain in Napa Valley and started the wine company, Somnium. This weekend, the fires hit parts of her property, and Patrick had the real concern that all of her work and dedication to that land over the past decade would be lost.
She took to Instagram on Monday and shared her thoughts on the wildfires. She also offered the update that her property was mostly spared by the fires. (Swipe through the Instagram post to see the other images)
I have been thinking a lot about what the lesson is in the fire that came through my property last night.
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I finally cried this morning at the idea that something I have spent so much time, money, effort, passion, patience, and did I mention money, on….. could just be gone. The dirt is still there but it’s almost impossible to get insurance because of how many fires have come through. Thanks a lot for that. So it will require the next level of all of those things I have already invested.
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Then I stopped…… and thought, tonight I am going to bring a (expletive) ton of Somnium over to my friends house and honor what the project ACTUALLY stands for in my heart….. and that’s to connect. To sit at the table with loved ones and share life with each other. No phones (unless you need to capture a great moment🤪). Open hearts. Honest sharing. Tears. Laughs. The real (expletive).
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The name somnium means dream in Latin. And the bottle has a red dot that implies – you are here. So, I invite you to join me tonight in opening up some wine with someone or many that you love and just have a blast. Tell stories and connect. Be present. Be here now. ✨
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As for an actual update….. your prayers and good vibes worked!!!!! Somehow the fires went mostly around the actual blocks! Thank you thank you thank you. ❤️ now let’s have a party to honor AND celebrate that we had some luck in 2020!!!!!
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The second picture is me 10 years ago when we had just started the planting process. There was a lot of rock on the land. Man has it been a journey!
And Dale Jr. shared a story that he described as “the most important moment in my life with my dad.” He said it was an unplanned exchange with his father that he feels “very lucky” to have had, especially since it happened within a year before Dale Sr.’s tragic death.
Earnhardt said he was writing a column for a popular racing magazine called the Winston Cup Scene because he loves to write, express himself and share his side of stories.
“One night, for some reason, I sat down by myself, and I wrote this sort of essay about Dad and what he meant to me,” Dale Jr. said on Danica’s Pretty Intense podcast. “And it took me no time at all to write this, and it just poured out with so much ease. And I was extremely proud of it.”
He said he’s not sure exactly when this happened but guessed it was a few months before Dale Sr. died. He explained:
“And so I was like, ‘I’m gonna take this, and I’m gonna publish it in this thing. And everybody’s gonna read it, and everybody’s gonna know how I feel about my dad.’ But I was scared to do it without asking him. You don’t do anything about Dad, with Dad, with the use of his name or anything without going to him and saying, ‘Hey, is this OK?’
“So I asked him if I could see him for a second. He’s up in his office at [Dale Earnhardt, Inc.]. I go up there with that piece of paper, and I said, ‘Hey, I got this thing I wrote, and it’s about you. I want to put it in the Winston Cup Scene in a couple weeks, and I just need to make sure you’re OK with it.’
“And he takes it, and he reads it, and he stands up, and he starts walking around reading it. And it’s only, you know, about a page. And he stops at the end, and he takes a minute. And he says, ‘You know, we never tell each other how we feel about each other, but in reading this, I know exactly how you feel.’
“And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘Man, that’s exactly how I feel about you, and I didn’t know you didn’t know that — you know, that I thought you were this great, amazing thing.’
“And he was like, ‘I’m so glad you did this. I’m so glad you shared this with me.’ He doesn’t talk this way.”
At this point, Patrick said she was choking up about the story and was glad Dale Jr. was doing all the talking. He continued:
“It was amazing! And so he’s like, ‘You can’t use this in this publication. You’ve gotta save this for a book or something.’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m not saving this! This is how I feel right now, and I want everybody to know it. So I’m gonna put it out there.’ And I did.
“But anyhow, I think had that not happened — had I not had that written — that moment is the most important moment in my life with my dad, without a doubt. We had won races together and stood in Victory Lane together, but to know that he knew how I felt about him is really important because knowing that he would pass away many months later. …
“Had I never got to share that with him, man, that would be tough going the rest of my life wondering if — I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again. Every believes what they want to believe, and I kind of have my beliefs, and I don’t know what they are sometimes. I don’t know what to believe or what to expect. But if I was to never cross paths with him again and he’d leave this world without being able to share that with him would be so hard. I’d be in such a harder place in spending all these last 20 years without him.”
For the first time in 20 years, the Indy 500 field doesn’t include a woman.
For the last 20 years, at least one woman has competed in the Indianapolis 500. Whether it was Lyn St. James, Danica Patrick or Pippa Mann, one of the biggest motor sports events in the world always had a woman competing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But that streak ends Sunday with the 104th Indy 500 when, for the first time since the 1999 race, the field will consist entirely of men.
“The fact that it’s a story that there isn’t one is more surprising,” Patrick said Wednesday during a media teleconference previewing NBC’s race coverage. “Because the story always used to be that there is one, that there is a female in the race. I think the story is actually that there’s a story there isn’t one.”
Mann has often been the lone woman in the 33-car field, and the 37-year-old British driver has made seven Indy 500 starts in her career: 2011, 2013 to 2017 and 2019. Her best finish was last year when she came in 16th, but this time around, she wasn’t able to secure a ride.
“There was one week where it all the sudden lit up, and it was going, going, going,” Mann told IndyStar earlier this month. “For a moment there, I really thought it was going to happen – my first-ever corporate sponsor.
“I was close enough that I was starting to allow myself to hope again, which I never do, because I’ve been around this sport long enough that I know that’s the surest pathway to disappointment – to allow yourself to hope.”
In addition to Patrick, Mann and James — whose final Indy 500 start was in 2000 — the other women who have competed in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since the turn of the century are Sarah Fisher (2000-2004, 2007-2010), Milka Duno (2007-2009), Ana Beatriz (2010-2013), Simona de Silvestro (2010-2013, 2015) and Katherine Legge (2012-2013). Janet Guthrie was the first woman to compete in the Indy 500, and she made three starts from 1977 to 1979.
Instead of interpreting the all-male 2020 Indy 500 as a step backward, Patrick — who’s best finish was third in 2009 and still a record for women — said she’d rather look at the larger picture and overall trend of women competing in the race.
“So I think that we’re taking score too soon. We need to look at the macro of it and look at the last — instead of looking at this year compared to last year or the last 10, let’s look at the arc of it over the last 50 years.
“And then you’ll see that, my goodness, just because there’s one that doesn’t go so well, it’s like just because 2020’s not going too well doesn’t mean this whole decade is garbage, right? So we need to look at the bigger version to understand it’s far, far more normal now to have females in the race, and the fact that there is a story about there not being one is a story.”
Although she doesn’t typically reply to the trolls and haters, Patrick took the time Monday to respond to one particularly gross comment on one of her Instagram posts.
Sunday, she posted a series of photos with a sweet caption about being thankful for her friends. One person took that post as an opportunity to comment on Patrick’s relationship history and placed the blame entirely on her, despite surely having absolutely no idea why her relationship with Rodgers — or with her ex husband or anyone else, for that matter — didn’t work out.
In the mocking comment dripping with misogyny, the person wrote:
“At 38, its [sic] over for you in the relationship world with high value men. From a failed marriage to failed dating clearly you have a problem in dating.”
In her Instagram stories Monday, Patrick responded with a screenshot of the comment and said:
“If we let what one person thinks of us be our reality, we are doomed.
“Realize that what someone says to us has a lot more to do with their own wounds and reality than ours. Our reality is our decision. Still not easy — but true.”
Instead of ignoring this sexist troll like she usually might, Patrick called out this person to remind her followers not to put too much stock into what anonymous haters on the internet think.
Without mentioning Rodgers specifically on Instagram, Patrick has vaguely referenced their split in posts about personal growth and her own “emotional therapy”. She and Rodgers had been publicly dating since January 2018, and she confirmed their breakup in July.
Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick have reached the finish line, they are no longer a couple.
This has not been the Summer of Love for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. First, he had to digest the team drafted Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. And now, his relationship with former racecar driver Danica Patrick is kaput.
The first hint there was trouble with the celebrity sports duo came when Instagram users noticed on July 16 that Patrick unfollowed Rodgers.
A rep for Danica Patrick has confirmed the split. “I can confirm that Danica and Aaron are no longer together.”
Patrick and Rodgers started dating in 2018. Patrick previously was in a relationship with another NASCAR driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. for five years. Rodgers and actress Olivia Munn were together from 2014-17 before going their own ways.
According to a report from E! News, Patrick’s representatives confirmed to the outlet that the couple had broken up after two-plus years together. They started dating in 2017.
The internet had speculated about the relationship the past week as fans noticed that Patrick had unfollowed the Packers quarterback on Instagram. And despite keeping an active social-media presence, Patrick had not included Rodgers in any post since April.
When Rodgers arrived to compete at a celebrity golf tournament in Tahoe over the weekend without Patrick — who had accompanied him in previous years — speculation only grew. The representative said via, E! News:
Danica’s rep confirms to E! News that she and the Packers star are “no longer together.”
Despite the unfollow on Instagram, Patrick hasn’t scrubbed her account of photos with Rodgers. But again, the last photo of them together was from a trip to Peru in April.
For The Win spoke with Danica Patrick about her top memories from her historic win — including the big bottle of sake she celebrated with.
Danica Patrick was behind the wheel and flew past Hélio Castroneves on the outside for the lead late in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi Superspeedway. She only had a few more laps. She just had to hang on before making history.
Then it became clear Castroneves couldn’t catch her. There was no way. And after leading for only three of 200 laps at the 1.5-mile track in her No. 7 Andretti Green Racing Honda, Patrick took the checkered flag on April 20, 2008, making her the only woman to cross the finish line first in an IndyCar Series race.
In honor of Danica’s first and only career win 12 years ago Monday, For The Win spoke with the retired driver about how she views her historic win, the celebration that still stands out and how she reacted to critics over it.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions your win in Japan?
Finally. I think it always has been that. It was a finally moment. I also think to myself, “My goodness, that was such a long time ago now.”
Is that your feeling about it now, or was there a moment at or near the end of the race when you felt that way?
It’s just a general feeling. I felt like in my IndyCar career, there were so many times earlier on that it was sitting right there, and, shoot, including my fourth race in IndyCar in the Indy 500. [Danica finished fourth in her first Indy 500.] And I’m so grateful it happened, and it was really fun.
What else stands out when you think back?
The activities that happened after, from drinking a big bottle of sake on the helicopter on the way down to the airport to flying home with Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon and everybody. We drank the plane dry — either that or they cut us off — of their liquor. And then I had a 3 a.m. wake-up call to get hair and makeup done the next morning to go on East Coast morning TV. It was just a whirlwind.
That was a long time ago, and I’m learning how to do a couple things. One of them is having a little more perspective and pride on the things that have happened, like letting go of the mentality that has run my life, which is just, “Never enough and never good enough.” So instead of looking back at that moment with any kind of negativity like, “I wish I would have had more wins,” or “I wish it would have come sooner,” I look back, and I’m just grateful. And I had a great career.
(Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Does that mean you don’t regret not winning more races?
Well, I mean, of course you want to win more races. But what’s the good in that being my memory? It’s not a very productive memory. It’s not going to help me win more races.
Did you come across critics trying to invalidate the win?
Of course. There will always be critics.
Does it bother you that people question it?
No, because I can remember all the times I was really close to winning without a fuel strategy, and it didn’t happen. I know the driver that I was, and it all looks the same in the history books.
I remember reading after that some people were like, “Yeah, come back to the States and win at home,” or something like that. And I’m thinking, “Ha, that’s cute.”
By the time you finished, Hélio Castroneves was pretty far behind you. Do you remember what was running through your mind on that last lap?
Just, “Bring it home.” Like, I did it.
I think more than anything, what I remember is before I passed Hélio in the closing laps, I remember thinking: “I’m not going to worry too much about my fuel right now because I would be so mad if the caution came out, and I was being conservative until the last lap and I was not in the lead.” So I remember thinking, “He’s so close. I’m going to push it here and just get by him.” And then I also remember I did a really good job with the fuel strategy. Hélio had the same strategy as I did, and I won by a lot. So the whole run paid off in the end and made the last lap really comfortable.
Is there a single moment you remember more vividly than others?
There’s a lot, but if I have to identify one: The trophy was really funny. Just to have this giant trophy, and there’s such a great picture with Hélio and his trophy. And Hélio, being the character that he is, he of course embodied the look you’d have with a trophy that size next to mine. That was one of those memories.
And in the end they asked if there was anything else I’d like to say, and I just said, “Kanpai,” which is “Cheers.” It was a good day.
Castroneves and Patrick at Twin Ring Motegi on April 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)
Is there something about that day or race that you think most people don’t know about?
A couple little tidbits from Japan: No. 1 is I love going. And in the spring, there were cherry blossoms, and it was so beautiful. And I would go running in the morning around the track and be able to see all the cherry blossoms because not only is there the oval, but there’s the road course. It’s a really big facility, so I would go running for a while. That probably helped just put me in a good mood.
What impact do you think your win had on motor sports?
I still think that’s easier for other people to answer than it is me at this point. It’s still not that long ago in the grand scheme of things, but it’s hard to feel the full perspective or see what comes of it. Every time someone breaks the norm, it opens up that mental capacity for what’s possible. I think that it was just something special, unique and different, and that’s what made it big.
Do you ever rewatch it?
No. I don’t think I’ve ever actually watched the race.
Overall, how do you remember that win when you look back?
I think my big thought is that I can be really hard on myself, and I think that I’m entering this phase where I am doing myself a disservice to have negative thoughts around things that I’ve accomplished. My mind really thinks like, “Was I successful? Did I really accomplish all that I could have?”
But I think it’s unproductive and unhealthy. So I’m learning to look back on my life and the things that I’ve done with a lot more gratitude and a lot more perspective and appreciation and enjoy it and be proud of what it was. Motegi was definitely one of those.
For The Win spoke with Danica about why she chose to invest in a CBD company started by former pro baseball and hockey players.
Danica Patrick’s post-NASCAR career is largely about health, fitness and self-improvement. Her book and her podcast, both titled Pretty Intense, focus on those themes, and lately, in addition to regularly posting her workout routines on social media, she’s been leading workouts on Instagram Live while people are social distancing because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
And Patrick’s latest business venture aligns with her brand. She recently invested in the Boston-based company beam — a wellness brand that sells organic CBD (cannabidiol) products made from hemp that are THC-free — and contributed in a $5 million seed round in September 2019.
“I hope that people trust me, especially at this point in my career where I’m past the days of needing a sponsor to go racing,” Danica, who will also be a brand ambassador, told For The Win.
“In fact, I pay for things I want to do now. … I’m very much in the stage of wanting to offer help and wanting to help people grow and help people feel their best mentally and physically.”
Former pro baseball player Kevin Moran and former pro hockey player Matt Lombardi started beam in 2018. They were training for the Boston Marathon that year and began looking into CBD to help their “beat-up bodies,” Lombardi said, when they realize it was an emerging market with inconsistent products.
For The Win spoke with Patrick — along with Moran and Lombardi — about why she likes CBD and her investment in beam.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
FTW: Why invest in beam?
Danica Patrick: I really believe in the product. I really believed in everything they had going on and their view for the future as well as the product itself is really effective. And I had used a few CBD products over the years — things you can get at a grocery store — and never noticed anything, so I was like, “I don’t know if this stuff works.” But beam does, it really does.
FTW: What made you want to try CBD initially? Was it curiosity or were you looking to cure an ailment?
Danica: I’m just always looking for new things to help function and feel better. And I’m also not afraid to invest the time into it. So in any form, short of long-term, direct effect or delayed effect, I’m always interested in new modalities, new supplements that resonate with me and could help me feel 20 when I’m 60.
I’m also very comfortable with and a big fan of anything that is natural. Plants are natural — going all hippie here — but we’re connected to everything, and the cannabinoid receptors are an example of that. So whatever you can do with nature to balance the body out and ease the body and fuel the body and calm the body, all of those things I believe are things we should all be doing. And I love that we’re learning more about it.
FTW: Do you use other beam products often?
Danica: For anyone that’s following me on social media, you know that I put a bunch of fun powders in my food a lot, and I’ll post about that some times. Things like ashwagandha, reishi, cordyceps, lion’s mane — those are some of the more mainstream ones that maybe people have heard of before. beam created a [powder] product called “clarity” and “dream.”
And the first time I took “dream,” 20 minutes later, I was passed out on the couch. And when I had to wake up to go to bed, it was like I didn’t even know how to walk. I was like, “Oh my gosh, I’m so out of it.” It’s an extremely effective tool.
And then a few weeks ago, I was traveling back from France — just in time to not get caught there in some kind of quarantine — and I had an overnight flight coming back straight from Paris all the way to L.A. So I got a cup of hot water, and I put a packet of dream in the water, stirred it, drank it, covered my head up with a blanket, laid there, and slept on a plane for eight hours! I was so happy. That’s more than a full night’s sleep for me.
FTW: Would you have invested in this if it didn’t work on you but you saw it as a lucrative business opportunity?
Danica: I don’t think I have to do that now. [It’s] not the point in time to sell out on the brand in any way. This is the authentic phase where I show you what I stand for and what I truly love and what I’m interested in or believe in or want to know more about because I’m not sure what to believe in.
A huge component about it is being consumables and about being healthy, and it’s right up my alley. When they said adaptogens, I was like, “Ummm, I take like 13 a day, sometimes more.” And I get sore a lot, so it’s really helpful.
FTW: Was there something in the science that attracted you to CBD?
Danica: We talked a lot about the powders when it comes to the adaptogens. We’ve had long conversations about them and how I use it and what I use pre- and post-workout and for recovery as well as energy, so we’ve talked a lot about that.
Kevin Moran: A lot of the powders are stacked with other ingredients like different mineral compounds, ashwagandha, lion’s mane, adaptogens, things like that. And there’s scientific evidence as to how that works. CBD just hasn’t been taken enough to have a ton of scientific evidence around it, but we’ve coined this term internally of citizen science. We’re working to invest in some science and be thought leaders in the space from a purely scientific perspective.
Matt Lombardi: In our bodies, we have what’s called an endocannabinoid system, and that’s essentially why there are so many different benefits of CBD. Our endocannabinoid system keeps our whole body in balance and promotes homeostasis, and it promotes normal functions in our body like sleep, stress, inflammation, digestion. CBD supports our endocannabinoid system to allow it to do its job more efficiently. Just think of as engine oil for your body.
Danica: I have a question actually. My understanding of cannabis is that we have cannabinpoid receptors in our body, which is why our body knows what to do with it. Is that right?
Moran: Yeah. So think of high-quality CBD, it’s almost like spark plugs igniting what’s already in your body. Your endocannabinoid system gets out of whack and leads to all these chronic issues people deal with, and over time, it gets worse and worse. But then when you’re putting something back in your body to reignite it. It’s like premium engine oil for your body bringing it back into balance.
With the latest episode of her Pretty Intense podcast set up in a Q&A format for her — she usually interviews a guest — Danica said she could “pretty confidently say no,” when asked if she’d ever race again, especially at the top of NASCAR or the IndyCar Series. But she was quick to say, “Never say ‘never,'” but then reiterated how unlikely that seems at this point.
However, Patrick did detail what specifically she does miss about being behind the wheel. For her, it’s the instant gratification that came with racing, particularly the times when she would offer her team feedback about the car’s handling, crew members would address it and she’d see results on the track almost immediately.
There’s some NSFW language in this clip.
Life off the track may seem slower but nothing is stopping me from keeping things #PrettyIntense. On my latest episode, I am finally answering all your long-awaited racing questions, including where I stand on my racing career. Make sure to listen: https://t.co/Uy8DhzecOopic.twitter.com/SAiOHjY5VL
“I miss that, like, part that I grew up loving, which was this sort of instant gratification part of going out, lap time, improving, finishing positions. So that’s all really tangible numbers, and so, so many other things that I do, like everything now … there’s not that quick, instant gratification from, you know, 27 seconds to the next 27 seconds. So I do kind of miss that instant reward stuff that you had with progress of making the car handle better and finishing better. Things seem to take a little longer to turn the ship with these things. But I miss that. What else do I miss?
“Sometimes I do miss the feeling of, like, really going fast as far as like, handling that [expletive] and feeling really confident and comfortable and knowing that it was so on the edge. Yeah, that’s kind of a magical feeling. I don’t really get that. I try on the streets, but it’s tough.”
When Danica gave rides to guests at Sonoma Raceway after retiring, she got a little taste of that adrenaline rush, she said.
“It brought back that memory, that body feeling of pushing the car and getting it to the edge of grip,” she continued.
Going through a wide variety of fan questions previously submitted on Instagram, Patrick talked about how she “enjoyed being different” as a woman in a male-dominated sport, her guess that she’s been pulled over “at least 20 times” for speeding and what kind of car she drives now — “a Range Rover or a rental.”
But she was also asked if she ever had issues with crew or team members in the garage.
She explained she might have had a different or better relationship with some people are on her team if there were more women in the garage rather than all men. She acknowledged she’s not into cars the way some drivers are, but she also thought she couldn’t develop relationships “in a deeper way” because she’s a woman.
Danica then expanded her answer to talk about people who didn’t believe in her ability as a driver and then, perhaps, didn’t work as hard to help her succeed. She recognized she “had great people on my side” throughout her career, but that certainly didn’t include everyone.
“The biggest issue that I think held me back overall in my career was just ones that didn’t believe I was really capable of doing it because then it meant that they didn’t put the work in that it took to build a really, really fast car because the details mattered. All the little details mattered and all the extra homework that they did — what we would call massage on the car to correct details and make it a little less drag here, a little less weight there.
“You know, what’s your incentive if you just don’t think I can do it anyway? You know, why are you going to stay late, and why are you going to come in on days off when you just don’t think it matters anyway?”
Every driver faces a certain level of skepticism and has to prove themselves, she continued. But where male privilege might have opened doors for someone else in her exact position, she speculated she had to prove herself “a little more often.”
What some of Jimmie Johnson’s recently retired peers would tell him ahead of his last season in NASCAR.
Everything Jimmie Johnson does in the next nine months he’ll do for the last time as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver. Going into this season with such a clear resolution and plan for his future hands him another advantage over so many other recent NASCAR drivers.
When you’re a seven-time champion with 83 wins (tied for No. 6 all time) and undeniably in the NASCAR GOAT debate, you get to choose your exit. Johnson announced in November, shortly after the end of the 2019 season, that he plans to retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2020 season when his contract is up with Hendrick Motorsports, the only Cup team he’s ever raced for.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to leave the sport on their own terms. Some drivers are forced out because of injuries, sponsorship issues or being unable to find a ride they want, and those drivers don’t always have the benefit of knowing when it’s their last Daytona 500 or their last race at this track or that one.
And it can be devastating to realize it’s time to call it quits or to attempt to “understand why somebody doesn’t want you” after a life dedicated to the sport, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. He was almost forced to leave the sport early for health reasons after a concussion sidelined him for the second half of the 2016 season but was able to return and run one last full-time season before retiring in 2017.
“If you got forced out for any reason, not knowing you just ran your last race, hell, I can’t imagine how difficult that must be,” said Earnhardt, a close friend and former teammate of Johnson’s who is still “bothered now” by how much he misses racing.
Johnson and his then- crew chief, Chad Knaus, after winning their seventh championship in 2016. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
Johnson, though, knows for sure this is it and can plan accordingly. At 44 years old, Johnson is the oldest full-time driver in the Cup Series and going into his 19th full-time season. His 20-something teammates jokingly call him grandpa.
For most of last season, the No. 48 Chevrolet driver was adamant that he wasn’t done racing, as questions about his age and future swirled. But something hit him in October, and he said “it felt good to think” about retiring. He described it as a “profound moment,” comparing it to when he realized he wanted to propose to his wife, Chandra.
“It was just that strong in my stomach,” Johnson said at his retirement press conference in November. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I want to do.’ … I feel so fortunate that it showed up to me in that way.”
So he gets one last go-around for a 36-race schedule (plus two exhibition events). Johnson has said several times that he’s not done racing, but he’s saying goodbye to NASCAR’s brutally demanding schedule and going out his own way.
But even when you get to make the call yourself, it’s still bittersweet.
“Retiring and ending your career is not a celebratory experience,” said Earnhardt, who’s now an NBC Sports analyst. “The decision to retire is a sad one because racing’s all you ever did and all you ever wanted to do, and it’s a strange thing to make the decision to walk away from it. Being able to do it on your own terms is more about walking away with as much dignity as you can have but also controlling that narrative of the sadness and the disappointment.”
***
Whether drivers were forced out of NASCAR, chose their retirement date or even made unexpected returns, the sentiment among several recently retired drivers is largely the same.
If Johnson consulted them looking for advice about retirement and his final season — and he did with friends like Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon, another former teammate who’s a part owner of the No. 48 car — they’d tell him to make a conscious effort to enjoy the little details of his farewell tour.
Earnhardt, Kasey Kahne, Gordon and Johnson in 2014. (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
Michael Waltrip, whose last Cup race was the 2017 Daytona 500, said he would tell Johnson just what he’d go back and tell himself with the advantage of hindsight: Try to slow down and enjoy the final, sure-to-be-whirlwind year.
“For me — and I’ve learned this over the last few years — I’d just like to stop and take a moment to look around, to shake someone’s hand or make someone smile,” said Waltrip, who’s now part of FOX Sports’ broadcast team. “Just appreciate what you have and how special it’s been and never take it for granted. Take a minute to smile or soak it all in. You’ll remember that forever.”
For his part, Johnson appears to be trying to do that. He’s letting go of the “Chasing 8” mantra he’s had since he won No. 7 in 2016 in favor of something more reflective and appreciative: “One Final Time.” In a Twitter video describing his change in mentality, he described racing for a statistic as “a bit out of character.”
“It’s my last full-time year with Mr. Hendrick, with my sponsors, with my team, out there with my family,” he said. “This is just one final time, and it feels so good to be able to let go of that chasing part.”
Gordon, Patrick and Jeff Burton explained that appreciating the little moments comes naturally when you’re younger and still new to NASCAR’s premier level. Early in their careers, they said they were still giddy and excited and even a little starstruck.
But the grind of constant competition on the track, for the spotlight and with sponsors — plus the grueling schedule and dragging a family around the country for nine months every year — slowly chips away at that.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Was racing fun?’” Burton said. “Hell no, it wasn’t fun. It’s work. I loved it, and you can love something and have it not be fun.
“From the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep, you’re competing for something if you’re going to do this and do it well. And it takes the fun out of it. It doesn’t take the passion out of it, but it’s not really a game anymore.”
Knowing it’s your last full season — and likely last race at the majority (if not all) of NASCAR’s 24 tracks — can be invigorating and reignites that youthful giddiness, Earnhardt said, especially when “a lot of the enjoyment gets zapped out of the job over the years.”
Then the challenge becomes striking a balance between taking in the moment and holding onto that lifelong competitive fire to try to go out on top in some capacity. Easier said than done, and Johnson told For The Win he’s “fearful” about succeeding at that.
Johnson, his daughters, daughters, Lydia and Genvieve, and Patrick at the 2018 Daytona 500. (Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
Gordon said he told Johnson the best way to find that balance is planning and being more informed than ever about everything, from maintaining a strong relationship with his crew chief, Cliff Daniels, and engineers to knowing ahead of time how each track will celebrate you. Limiting what could catch Johnson off guard could open him up to taking a relaxing moment here and there for himself, he said.
“There were definitely moments when I thought, ‘OK, this is going to be the last time I do this,’ ” said Gordon, who retired from full-time racing at the end of the 2015 season but filled in for an injured Earnhardt for eight races in 2016.
“I felt like I had this weight lifted off of me where I could enjoy those moments because for so many years, I was so focused on competition, competition, win, win, win,” the now-FOX Sports broadcaster explained. “And that can be exhausting and draining. So I felt like for my final year, I found a great balance between enjoying those moments and also pushing myself to stay competitive. And I think that’s what Jimmie is going to deal with a lot.”
And while there will surely be plenty of things Johnson knows he’ll miss when he’s not behind the wheel full time, Patrick said it’s also “perfectly fine with being OK with not missing things,” like time-consuming sponsor or media obligations or certain tracks you never ran well at.
“I don’t know if that’s how Jimmie will feel or not,” Patrick said. “There’s something that allows you to have that latitude to say, ‘I think this is going to be the end,’ and I would imagine there will be a few things where he’ll be like, ‘Won’t miss that!’ And good, because otherwise, you should stay.”
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At Johnson’s retirement press conference in November, he said his team’s recent slump had “very little implication” on his decision to walk away at the end of the 2020 season. But amid the worst stretch of his storied career, it’s also impossible to ignore.
Sure, he has 83 wins, by far the most among active drivers, and until Kyle Busch won the 2019 Cup Series championship, Johnson was the only active driver with more than one, including an unprecedented five in a row. But his last trip to Victory Lane was back in June of 2017, which tied Cale Yarborough on the all-time wins list. And last season, Johnson missed the playoffs, which were established in 2004, for the first time in his career.
Johnson at Phoenix Raceway in 2019. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)
With so many checkered flags, and having already tied Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with a record seven championships, Gordon said there’s “no doubt” Johnson’s put some extra pressure on himself to win one more race and at least try to contend for another championship.
“I can tell Jimmie doesn’t want to put that added pressure on himself or let others know that’s on his mind,” Gordon said. “But I know, deep down inside, that’s important to him.”
But if the last two seasons are any indication, Johnson and his 48 team have a long way to go. In 2018 and 2019 combined, he had five top-5 finishes with an average finish of about 17th and eight total DNFs. He did, however, win the 2019 Clash at Daytona International Speedway, a 75-lap exhibition event, but it came after he ignited a massive wreck that took out almost the entire field.
He also parted ways with longtime crew chief Chad Knaus after their winless 2018 campaign, and again changed crew chiefs in 2019 from Kevin Meendering to Daniels — only this time it was almost two-thirds of the way into the season.
“We’ve all had the peaks and the valleys, and when you’re a seven-time champion, that valley’s a hell of a lot lower,” Burton said. “In my opinion, he’s not coming back for a farewell tour. He’s coming back to redeem the last two years. That’s what I believe. He’s too competitive not to, and I just think that’s where he is.
“I don’t think it’s about winning a race or making the playoffs. I think it’s about doing better than the last two years have been, and if he does that, he will make the playoffs.”
If his final season doesn’t go particularly well, Waltrip joked Johnson can always do what he does and walk by his two Daytona 500 trophies (Johnson won in 2006 and 2013) — or, you know, any of the many others — and feel a little better knowing he did something incredible.
Johnson after winning the 2013 Daytona 500. (Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports)
Not that anyone would expect a fierce competitor and all-around athlete like Johnson to give anything less than his all. But throwing 100 percent at his final season — along with appreciating the little things that would have otherwise been mundane — could help minimize any regrets, Burton added.
Johnson is headed into his 19th full-time season, and no one does anything that long without accumulating a few disappointments along the way. But Burton and Mark Martin would assure him that if he doesn’t hold back, he probably won’t lose any sleep over his last full-time season, regardless of what happens.
“I think he would do fine with [not getting one more win],” said Martin, who retired from full-time racing twice and called it a career in 2013 with 40 wins (but no championship).
“You always give everything you’ve got, 100 percent. And then really, you just have to accept the results for what they are, whether they’re amazing and incredible or a disappointment or anything in between.”
Earnhardt Jr. said that if Johnson can find the right balance this year, a feeling of innocence could return, allowing him to approach the year like a rookie driver just eager to be on the track.
“I didn’t run very good in my final year, but I don’t remember that,” Earnhardt said. “I remember it being fun and how much I enjoyed being around my guys, and I had a great time.”
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Regardless of what happens, drivers agreed it will have only a little, if any, impact on Johnson’s legacy in the sport — unless, of course, he wins a record-breaking eighth championship.
Johnson and team owner Rick Hendrick at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2019. (Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)
He’s unquestionably in the GOAT of NASCAR debate — even leading it, depending on who you ask — and he’s not done racing. Whether it’s in NASCAR, another top-level series or even on two wheels, Johnson has made it clear his retirement is simply from NASCAR’s exhausting full-time schedule, as he looks for “a better balance in life.”
Not winning a race or missing the playoffs again might be a “sour” ending for a seven-time champ, Burton said. But when Johnson and his career in NASCAR are memorialized years from now, that’s not what people will remember.
“I would [tell Johnson to] act however you want to act, say whatever you want to say, do whatever you want to do,” Patrick said.
“You didn’t arrive at this place where people are doing interviews about your last season because of anything other than you’re a legend and you’re a fantastic driver with pages of accomplishments. So this last season should purely be whatever you want it to be.”
