The "Monster Mile Master" came back home on Saturday.
Jimmie Johnson, Dover Motor Speedway's all-time leader with 11 Cup Series victories, makes his first Dover start since 2020 on Sunday in the Würth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race.
"It's hard to hide my excitement to come here and drive," Johnson said. "I had never been on an oval that scared me like being here [for my first race in the late 1990s]. Fortunately, we were able to build a car that always performed here."
Now a part-time competitor for the team he co-owns, Legacy Motor Club, Johnson will be behind the wheel of the No. 84 Toyota when he hits the World's Fastest One-Mile Oval. Legacy Motor Club's full-time drivers are John Hunter Nemechek (No. 42) and Erik Jones (No. 43). Jones suffered an injury last week at Talladega and will be replaced this week by Corey Heim.
"The reason we run the third car is to help our two primary cars," Johnson said. "I don't want to take anything away from the 42 or 43 programs.
"I'm expecting it to be a much different environment than what I had a lot of success here. It's really a different feeling. I feel running all the laps at Texas helped me a lot. I have to learn to drive it off the right front and I was always a right rear guy."
Johnson’s seven career NASCAR Cup Series championships tie him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most in series history; his five consecutive titles are a NASCAR record.
Johnson’s on-track accomplishments behind the wheel of a stock car put him on the short list in the "Greatest of All Time" discussion. He has 83 wins at 20 different tracks, including 11 at the Monster Mile.
Currently the co-owner of NASCAR team Legacy Motor Club, Johnson was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.
The Würth 400 (FS1, PRN, Sirius XM) takes the green flag at 2 p.m. on Sunday.