7 Time NASCAR Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson announced yesterday that 2020 will be his last full time season in NASCAR’s top series.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see this announcement coming. That being said ,I still can’t believe it.

This kind of news is always shocking. Sometimes when you are in the moment of enjoying a sport you love, it’s easy to forget that the athletes of a certain time period won’t be apart of that sport forever.

Jimmie Johnson’s career has always seemed larger than life. I started watching NASCAR in 2005. Johnson won 5 straight championships between 2006 and 2010. I grew up watching him win. A LOT! Johnson went on to win two more championships in 2013 and 2016. Which made for 7 all together. Tying him with racing greats Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

Along with all of that, Johnson has 83 NASCAR Cup Series wins. Including 2 Daytona 500’s.

Even with all of the non-stop success, Johnson has always been a driver I’ve respected. Jeff Gordon is my favorite driver of all time. Johnson was Gordon’s teammate over at Hendrick Motorsports. Naturally that connection made me a fan.

Of course there were times when I became frustrated with all the winning. Gordon even lost a few close races to Johnson. There were even points where the two of them had somewhat of a rivalry. As I’ve gotten older though, my respect for Johnson has done nothing but grow. He truly is one of the best to ever do it.

Next year, I really hope we see Johnson grab another win or two. He has struggled the past couple of seasons, but I’ve seen flashes of hope recently.

I know Johnson is very determined too. When a champion like him gets inspired, there’s no telling what great things he might accomplish. Here’s to his last chase for an 8th and final championship.

We will miss Jimmie. But I’m so happy we get one more season with you!