Ever since retiring from the sport, Jimmie Johnson has shifted to several other ventures, including team ownership. The owner of Legacy Motor Club has recently invested a significant amount of time in growing the team and taking it to new heights. Along with that, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has also been behind the wheel from time to time.
However, there is one format where Johnson has not appeared for almost two decades now – the Craftsman Truck Series. After a long hiatus from the format, Johnson has finally announced his return to trucks, and this time, it will be quite emotional for him.
Jimmie Johnson’s Return to the NASCAR Truck Series
When NASCAR announced its schedule for the upcoming season, one of the biggest highlights was the inaugural race in San Diego. The Naval Base setup for the contest only made it that much interesting.
Now, Johnson, who is a California native, was thrilled by the announcement and had hinted at his return behind the wheel for the contest. However, the seven-time champion had not given an official word until recently.
Johnson will participate in multiple contests in the San Diego weekend, starting Friday, where he will pilot the No. 1 Toyota Tundra Pro for Tricon Garage. Following which, he will drive the No. 84 Toyota for his own team, Legacy Motor Club.
WELCOME SEVEN-TIME!@JimmieJohnson returns to the @NASCAR_Trucks for the first time since ‘08 to take on San Diego in the No. 1 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6blyQhnHQ6
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) January 8, 2026
As for the 50-year-old’s sponsorship, Carvana, an e-commerce platform for buying and selling cars that has been a partner of Johnson and his team, will once again support the NASCAR icon in both his ventures over the weekend.
Johnson Shares His Thoughts on Running in San Diego
The California native, who was quite excited to run on the 3.4-mile track, shared his thoughts in his statement after the announcement. Johnson began, “Racing in San Diego means everything to me – it’s home. Getting behind the wheel of a Truck Series entry has been on my mind for a while.”
Following this, he described what it meant to race in his hometown and added, “The competition is incredible, and doing it at a historic street race on a Navy base in my hometown? That’s special.”
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The NASCAR legend even thanked his sponsor and Tricon garage for making the venture possible. He said, “I’m grateful to TRICON and Carvana for making this happen, and honestly, I can’t think of a better way to honor our military and celebrate where I’m from.”
Johnson’s return to the track will undoubtedly be an iconic moment, especially since it is in California, and given that the seven-time champion has been away from the Truck Series for a while.
The contest in San Diego, California, is scheduled for Juneteenth and will kick off with the Truck Series race on June 19, broadcast live on FS1 and NASCAR’s SiriusXM Radio.