Jimmie Johnson isn't retiring anytime soon

Despite a new wave of drivers—including three under the Hendrick Motorsports roof—the seven-time champion is committed to the No. 48 Lowe’s team.

And although he watched his buddies Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth start new chapters after last year, Johnson, 42, still has plenty desire to keep racing—and winning. 

“For me, I feel like sure, I could stop,” Johnson said. “I’ve accomplished so much. But what else am I going to do? I’d have to find something else to race. I’m a racer at heart and I want to compete. I feel like I can accomplish more in the sport and win more races and compete for more championships and win more championships. 

“So I don’t feel like it’s time yet. At some point that fire will go out—and I need to be aware of that. But right now it’s as intense as ever.”

After winning the 2016 NASCAR Cup title, Johnson was hoping for a solid opportunity to defend the championship last year. Although he won three of the first 13 races, Johnson never felt the his cars had the necessary speed to compete on a weekly basis. In the final 23 races, Kasey Kahne was the only Hendrick driver to win another race when he was victorious in the Brickyard 400. 

“When I look at the ’16 off-season, it was savoring the moment, being the champion, enjoying all of that,” Johnson said. “When you don’t win, you just can’t wait to get back to work and try to improve and figure out what went wrong. The ’17 season was so hard on us the second half of the year that when I came back from the banquet it was time to dig in and work on any and all areas.”

But not before making a phone call to team owner Rick Hendrick. After finishing 10th in the Monster Energy Cup standings and taking stock of 2017, Johnson had more than his share of missed opportunities. And that didn’t sit well with him.

“I left there pissed off,” Johnson said. “It sucked. I knew after we got eliminated from the Round of 8, our championship hopes were closed. But to relive the highlight reels and all of that it was like, ‘Damn, I want to be that guy. I want to go back to being that guy. 

“So, that was a huge shot of adrenaline in the arm to get back to work. I started wearing Rick out on the phone the next morning, ‘What do we need to do? Where do we need to start?’”

Johnson said his overall frustration with 2017 is not knowing why the company’s performance was off. But with all of the change to the company—from the teams moving to one shop, to the introduction of a new car, to the new structure of management within Hendrick Motorsports—Johnson feels he best served by putting last year behind him and moving on.

“There was so much work done this off-season due to circumstances and where we finished. Then obviously a lot of change in the rules, the restructuring at Hendrick and when you add that with the driver lineup, this is the most change I’ve ever seen at Hendrick Motorsports in my 16 seasons competing there. It’s a big year for the company."