From ‘Shaq’ To Podcast Host, NASCAR Great Jimmie Johnson Enters A Brave New World

If seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson never drove another race, his place in the sport as an all-time great would be secure.

But that’s not how Jimmie Johnson runs.

When he retired as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver after the 2020 season, Johnson switched gears for a career in IndyCar including the Indianapolis 500 in 2022. Having lived out his boyhood dream in an Indy car, Johnson left that series at the end of the 2022 season and would become a NASCAR Cup Series team owner at Legacy Motor Club.

In addition to owning the team, Johnson continues to select a limited number of races to drive the No. 84 Carvana Toyota, including this weekend’s 67^th Daytona 500.

But there is much more to Johnson these days. He has partnered with former National Basketball Association star and famed DJ Shaquille O’Neal in a venture for Carvana. Johnson also became a podcast host along with ESPN personality Marty Smith, which debuted on February 13.

The weekly podcast is entitled “Never Settle” and airs on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and all major podcast platforms.

“Yeah, Marty and I, have been great friends for a long time, and it just really makes sense, makes sense for us in where we are in life,” Johnson told me during Daytona 500 Media Day on Feb.12. “I think it should afford us some other opportunities.

“I think the media landscape is quite interesting and there are other opportunities within that and as I try to build a broad business that just doesn’t solely rely on on-track activity, the more ‘off-paint’ opportunities we have the other business shoots that we can create from Legacy I think the stronger will be as a company.”

Johnson is very business as the owner of Legacy Motor Club, an ambitious team hoping to climb the ranks in the NASCAR Cup Series. His family also lives in England, and he commutes overseas to spent time with wife and daughters.

Also, Johnson has taken over the primary role of the race team from his partner, Allegiant Airlines Chairman and CEO Maury Gallagher.

How will Johnson fit all of this into a very busy schedule?

“I have not figured that out yet,” Johnson told me. “With my family still in England since the school sessions started in October of last year. Then, this opportunity popped up to advance my position in the team I haven’t been there much it’s really been here and that that part’s not easy but knowing that It’s going to come to an end once the school session is out.

“That’s nice, but I’m trying to manage it.”

New episodes of the podcast will debut every Wednesday and the show will also air Wednesdays (2 pm ET) on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel (channel 90).

Each week, Johnson and Smith will discuss the headline stories in NASCAR and will share stories and perspectives gleaned from Johnson’s many successful years competing on the track. Johnson and Smith will take the discussion beyond the world of motorsports, too, discussing lifestyle matters, music, and sharing experiences and lessons learned staying true to the motto “never settle” as they navigated through success and challenges in their lives and careers.

“It’s crazy that this podcast has finally come to life,” Johnson said. “Marty and I have known each other for 20 plus years and he is one of the all-time best storytellers out there. He’s also hilarious and the two of us have had a lot of fun together throughout the years. We’re excited to work with SiriusXM, and we can’t wait to share some entertaining stories with listeners and have some great guests in their 2.0 version of life on the show with us.

“It’s going to be wild.”

Smith’s storytelling prowess is often featured on College Football on ESPN and ABC. He also had a long career with ESPN when that network televised NASCAR.

Smith has been a reporter and host for ESPN since 2006. He has been a mainstay on the network’s NASCAR and college sports coverage and also hosted the interview show “Marty Smith’s America.” Prior to ESPN, Smith covered motorsports and college sports as a journalist at the Roanoke Times, The Washington Post and The News & Advance. He has authored two books – the New York Times bestseller “Never Settle: Sports, Family, and the American Soul” (2019) and “Sideline CEO: Leadership Principles from Championship Coaches” (2023).

“Jimmie and I have had so many great conversations through the years about life on the track and off it, and we’re thrilled to team up with SiriusXM to create a podcast that will invite listeners into those conversations with us,” Smith said. “From racing to fatherhood to business and more, we’re excited to get into it all, and hopefully we’ll enlighten and inspire some people along the way.”

As for Johnson’s venture with Shaq, it began as a friendly wager and grew into a project with Carvana.

One of them gets to “dress” the other for Daytona.

Carvana, an industry pioneer for buying and selling used cars online, has brought together Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal helping Shaq settle the score with his own custom paint scheme for Johnson’s No.84 Toyota.

The design, inspired by O’Neal’s basketball career, was unveiled at Shaq’s Fun House in New Orleans on February 7 and will debuted during qualifying for the Daytona 500 on February 12.

“Jimmie and I had a ton of fun putting this together,” O’Neal said. “The car looks amazing, and I can’t wait to see him tear up the track next Sunday. Lucky for him, he’s got a better shot at victory lane than at the free-throw line.”

Shaq’s take on the No. 84 Toyota draws inspiration from his classic 1990s uniform, complete with signature pinstripes, a sleek colorway, and the iconic “Dunkman” logo taking center stage on the hood of the car. If there was any doubt about who won this round, one look at the car makes it crystal clear.

“I figured our little feud would stay online, but next thing I know, Shaq’s challenging me to a free throw contest and calling the shots on my paint scheme,” Johnson said. “I have to admit—he’s got style. It’s bold, it’s iconic, and I can’t wait to take it to the track.”

It also provides valuable exposure for Carvana, an innovative platform for buying and selling cars.

“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 Ryan Keeton, Carvana co-founder and Chief Brand Officer. “By blending the worlds of basketball and NASCAR, we’re bringing together two high-energy arenas and two iconic athletes to create something truly unforgettable for fans of both sports.”

The partnership will extend beyond the 67^th Daytona 500 to includes NBA All-Star Weekend from the San Francisco Bay Area.

“TNT and Fox are collaborating, working together, and there’s planned interaction back and forth,” Johnson explained. “And of course, we would love to have Shaq here, but I think from eyeballs and exposure, this will have more reach because you have the two networks and different fan bases, and it should be really, really good.”

Johnson has a new appreciation for O’Neal’s “Bigger than life” personality.

“Not only his personality, but in person like that’s a big dude,” Johnson told me. “He’s awesome. He has such a unique way to interact with people.

“You’re initially intimidated by his size and the presence he brings to a room. But as he works the room, you just see how big of a heart he has and there’s countless stories of his generosity. And as we shot the piece that you guys have seen, the auditorium was full of some high school basketball athletes. I thought he knew the team, but he spent the day, every break we had, he was engaged with those students talking about their basketball game.

“Towards the end, I asked him if he knew them because he was in such deep conversation. He’s like, ‘Nah, I just want to help these kids.’”

O’Neal is also a famed DJ, known as “DJ Diesel.”

“I actually sat through his whole set at the Super Bowl on Friday night and he made it look easy,” Johnson said. “I felt like maybe I should give it a try.

“Maybe he’ll let me up there with him.”

Johnson is not only one of the greatest race car drivers of the modern era, but he is also one of the most accomplished professional athletes in sports. A seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Johnson remains the only race car driver in history to be named The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (2009). Johnson was a 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. Throughout Johnson’s storied career, he and the No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports recorded 83 wins in 686 starts. He shares the record of seven championship titles with NASCAR Hall of Fame legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. After Johnson’s final full-time season in NASCAR, he spent two seasons in the IndyCar Series competing for 16-time IndyCar champions, Chip Ganassi Racing.

Johnson and wife Chandra are co-founders of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation (JJF), which focuses on K-12 public education. The JJF has contributed more than $13 million to organizations and schools in need across the U.S., since its inception in 2006.

Johnson will race in his 23^rd Daytona 500 on Sunday after he was one of two “Open” drivers who raced their way into the starting field based on speed from Wednesday night’s qualifications. The other driver was 2017 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Martin Truex, Jr.