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

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson drastically bettered his best finish in the NextGen car on Sunday, finsihing third in the DAYTONA 500 for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.

Jimmie Johnson and Legacy Motor Club enjoyed their best overall performance since the Hall of Famer became the team's majority owner.

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.

Already previously retired from full-time racing, Jimmie Johnson showed that there was still gas left in his tank after a surprising podium finish on Sunday in the 2025 Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway in Florida.

Seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson survived last-lap chaos at the Daytona 500 and savored landmark achievements as driver and team owner Sunday night. The 49-year-old legend scored a third-place finish in the Great American Race,

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.

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 reacts to his shock third-place finish at the Daytona 500, sharing why he's processing emotions "he didn't expect to have"

Not only did Johnson race through a last-lap accident to finish third, the Legacy Motor Sports Club that Johnson runs posted finishes of 5th and 12th