Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time champion in the NASCAR Cup Series, was born and raised in El Cajon, California, approximately 15 miles Northeast of San Diego, the site of NASCAR’s newest street course race.
Announced on Wednesday, the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will all be competing at Coronado Naval Base on Father’s Day Weekend, marking just the second street course to ever host a NASCAR event.
So, of course, being from the area, Jimmie Johnson wants to compete in the inaugural event, as the 83-time NASCAR Cup Series race-winner told members of the media on Wednesday.
“[The race] definitely intrigues me,” Johnson said. “Obviously, it’s not news, but the desire to race in my hometown is off the charts. I will aggressively work on being in the event. If for some reason I am not able to pull that off, I will absolutely be there and help support LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, all of our partners, NASCAR, and the city.”
Johnson is the majority owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, which fields two full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series for John Hunter Nemechek (No. 42) and Erik Jones (No. 43). Since joining the organization in 2023, the 49-year-old has competed part-time in the series, running a total of 14 events, collecting a best finish of third-place in the 2025 DAYTONA 500.
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Johnson to be competing in front of his hometown crowd. According to Ben Kennedy of NASCAR, this San Diego event is currently only on a one-year agreement, and while Kennedy says he hopes the sport can return in the future, there is no telling when that will be.
“This is really exciting. I honestly didn’t think that NASCAR would ever be able to race in San Diego. Growing up in El Cajon, watching it develop and change so much, watching El Cajon Speedway sadly go away, it’s just a reality or thought of NASCAR in a traditional sense on an oval in San Diego, it just never seemed possible.”
At this very moment, Johnson doesn’t have another race on his schedule for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, after getting behind the wheel of the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE for the season-opening DAYTONA 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.
Nothing is totally confirmed, just yet, but if at all possible, expect Johnson to return for the inaugural San Diego Street Race on Father’s Day Weekend. If you’re wondering whether that may be the end of Johnson’s driving career, the NASCAR legend says that thought hasn’t yet resonated with him.
“It hasn’t crossed my mind,” Johnson said about San Diego possibly being his final race. “I want to respond with no, but who knows. We’ll have to do some planning over the off-season.”
“I want to keep going. I want to stay in a car. I think it’s good for us. We’re hopeful to have a charter. Need to start building a team. There’s a chance that I run more races next year if we have a third charter on the docket and have a sponsor to bring along, team members to groom, a crew chief to get reps, a driver to get reps. There are a lot of scenarios that are in play. I’m hopeful I can keep going.”
The inaugural San Diego Street Race will take place on Sunday, June 21, 2026. Coverage of the event will be on Prime Video.
