Jimmie Johnson nearly got Shaquille O’Neal to victory lane at Daytona International Speedway — at least virtually.

The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion previously retired from full-time racing after the 2020 season, but he’s back for the Daytona 500. The No. 84 Toyota driver for his own team, Legacy Motor Club, will start from the 40th position in row 20.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 12: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #84 Carvana Toyota drives through the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 12, 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Jimmie and Shaq are two of the most legendary athletes in their sports, and when they started going back and forth, we knew something fun had to come out of it”, said Carvana co-founder and Chief Brand Officer,

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Jimmie Johnson ended up feeling more emotions than he thought at the Daytona 500 on Sunday. Johnson, 49, who won the Daytona 500 in 2006 and 2013, went from 15th to third through a last-lap crash on the backstretch to earn his best finish since winning the Daytona 500 in 2013 for Hendrick Motorsports.

Also locking into the field was 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr., who is racing the No. 56 Toyota for TRICON Garage after stepping back from racing full time in 2025. He turned the fastest lap of the open cars at 181.302 mph, ensuring TRICON’s Cup debut.

Legacy this season will field two full-time cars, the No. 43 Toyota for Erik Jones — two top-fives in two seasons with the team and a finish of 28th in the Cup Series standings — and the No. 42 Toyota for John Hunter Nemechek. Neither driver made the playoffs.

Jimmie Johnson finished third in the Daytona 500, his best result in the race since winning in 2013. Johnson, a seven-time Cup Series champion, is now a team owner and driver for Legacy Motor Club.

Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. qualified for the Daytona 500 as unchartered cars thanks to their single-lap qualifying speeds Wednesday.

Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. locked into the Daytona 500 field via their qualifying times in Wednesday's NASCAR Cup Series single-car qualifying session.

Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson are locked into the 2025 Daytona 500 after the qualifying session on Wednesday night.

The 49-year-old legend scored a third-place finish in the Great American Race, his best showing since winning for the second time in 2013. In addition, Legacy Motor Club's two full-time cars ran fifth (John Hunter Nemechek) and 12th (Erik Jones), despite the latter absorbing damage in a wild wreck that sent Ryan Preece airborne.