Last time around when Jimmie Johnson competed in the Daytona 500 race, he finished 28th. Well, the seven-time Cup Series champ is ready to repeat this feat in 2025, as he announced his attempt to qualify for the Great American Race. If he does advance through the Duels, Johnson would be running in his 22nd Daytona 500 race, which is a huge deal. But his beef with NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal just might see him vacate the seat of his No. 84 Toyota Camry.
The two have been involved in a war of words, throwing jabs against each other. This started out with Shaq’s comments on Johnson’s announcement to attempt to qualify for the Daytona. From there on, it has become a contest between them, trying to prove they are still on the top of their game despite calling it quits from a competitive setting. The Legacy Motor Club co-owner’s rebuttal challenged Shaq on his home turf while also highlighting his biggest weakness on the basketball court.
Well, it seems like Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t going to let Johnson taunt him, and he has accepted his challenge. And if Johnson loses out in this bout, he might have to hand over the keys of his No. 84 Toyota Camry to Shaq.
Shaquille O’Neal is optimistic about his chances in a free throw challenge
“Haha, I love you’re coming at me @SHAQ! Let’s roll with a free throw comp. Should be easy for you when you’re that close to the rim. Name when and where.” This was Jimmie Johnson’s response to the back-and-forth he was having with the NBA icon. Interestingly, Shaq has not been that great when it comes to free throws. In total, he has missed 5,317 free throws with a conversion rate of 52.7%. So, the NASCAR veteran knew where he could beat Shaq on the court.
But there was no way that Shaq was going to duck out of this challenge. “It’s on @jimmiejohnson Check your DM’s. Let’s put some real stakes on the line.. If I win, then I get to take a lap in your Daytona car, deal?” Things are certainly getting interesting between the two greats of their respective sports. It all started with banter, and it looks like there’s pride on the line, with Shaq looking to sneak a lap or two at the Daytona 500.
The fans certainly would be thrilled and entertained to see a free-throw battle between Shaq and Johnson. Fans on social media had a field day and were even picturing Shaq struggling to get inside a NASCAR race car. Next thing you know, there was a flurry of memes and hilarious posts put up by the fans on X. And with every passing day, this social media beef is keeping the fans entertained on both sides.
It’s on @jimmiejohnson Check your DM’s. Let’s put some real stakes on the line.. If I win, then I get to take a lap in your Daytona car, deal? https://t.co/xX9BztNEPa
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 30, 2025
Well, Jimmie Johnson has elaborate plans for the 2025 NASCAR season. Unlike last year, he is only going to compete in two Cup Series races. The first one will be the Daytona 500, and the next one is the Coca-Cola 600. If everything goes to plan and he qualifies for the Great American Race, the race in Charlotte will be his 700th NASCAR Cup Series start. Some fans even believe that he is going to hang up his boots from NASCAR racing after his 700th race, which matches his seven Cup Series titles. This also aligns with his long-term plans to lead the charge for his team, Legacy Motor Club.
Jimmie Johnson is now a majority owner at Legacy Motor Club
Knighhead Capital Management has partnered with Jimmie Johnson as he embarks on a new role, taking over the day-to-day functioning of his NASCAR team. The private equity firm has bought much of the ownership stake that was held by co-owner Maury Gallagher. He did retain some shares in the team but will join Richard Petty in the role of the team ambassador.
This partnership has kicked in immediately with Knighthead actively being part of the Legacy Motor Club team with the season opener at Bowman Gray Stadium. This switch to the majority owner role is something Johnson expected to come a bit later, but he couldn’t pass the opportunity when it shaped up quickly with Knighthead.
“I thought I was going to have three more years to understand ownership more… I had a head start and a few friendships out there, but ultimately the opportunity and access to Knighthead and the friendship I built was done socially, and when it was time to really engage in the PE world, we just clicked and got together to see where we could go. We wanted to move quick. And here we are; it’s only been a couple of months; it’s been very, very quick.” Johnson said this to the Associated Press.
Although it is good to see LMC make massive changes in terms of leadership changes, it’s about time they up their game on the racetrack. With the new personnel changes and their second year with Toyota, they will need to be competitive and aim for playoff spots with Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek.
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