Jimmie Johnson has officially confirmed his return to the Daytona 500, securing his place on the grid through NASCAR’s Open Exemption Provisional and adding another marquee chapter to his selective 2026 schedule. With that confirmation, Johnson has already locked in two Cup Series appearances this season, the San Diego street race and Daytona. Yet he has no intention of merely showing up.
Instead, the seven-time champion plans to squeeze every ounce of opportunity from his hometown weekend and hence has decided to race twice on the same circuit by entering the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at San Diego as well.
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Despite more than 700 NASCAR Cup Series starts, 83 victories, and seven championships, his résumé includes only one prior Truck Series appearance. The San Diego weekend will mark just the second time Johnson has ever competed in the Craftsman Truck Series, making the moment both unusual and symbolic. His lone Truck start came in 2008 at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he drove the No. 81 Chevrolet for Randy Moss Motorsports.
Johnson started from ninth, controlled the race for stretches, led 29 laps, and looked ready for a solid run before a crash ended his night prematurely, leaving him with a 34th-place result. That single outing has remained a footnote in an otherwise towering career, until now. At San Diego, Johnson will climb into Tricon Garage’s No. 1 Carvana Toyota for the Truck Series race.
Carvana will also back him as the primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series event, where he will pilot the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. Speaking about the opportunity, Johnson highlighted the emotional weight of the moment. “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,” he said.
He further emphasized, “The competition is incredible, and doing it at a historic street race on a Navy base in my hometown? That’s special. 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 grew up in El Cajon, just a short drive from San Diego, giving the upcoming event deep personal significance. It offers him a rare opportunity to compete at NASCAR’s highest level in his own backyard, surrounded by familiar roads and lifelong memories.
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As a child growing up only miles from the city, Johnson often imagined what it would be like to race a NASCAR car through San Diego. At the time, the idea felt distant and almost unattainable—he couldn’t envision a realistic venue for NASCAR in the area, making the dream seem permanently out of reach.
Now that the improbable has become reality, Johnson believes the location fits the sport perfectly. He has pointed to the region’s energy, lifestyle, and culture, describing San Diego as a community built around weekend experiences. According to Johnson, the weather, social atmosphere, and coastal setting make it an ideal stage, while the city’s proximity to Los Angeles further amplifies the event’s reach and appeal.
This race represents NASCAR’s third major experiment, following Chicago and Mexico. While the concept remains bold, Johnson views San Diego as a calculated step forward that can ideally avoid the financial pitfalls that often shadow such ventures.
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