Jimmie Johnson is 42 now, and had seven NASCAR titles to his credit. He burns for that eighth, and has dedicated himself to rebounding from a disappointing,'
His contract with Hendrick Motorsports has three years to run, but who knows whether another one is in the future. NASCAR, lately, hasn't been kind to drivers in their mid-40s.
Still, Johnson has made clear he has no intention on retiring.
"Retirement isn't something I'm thinking about. I don't even know what the retirement age was before. I know Mark Martin took it deeper," Johnson told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Martin, now 59, raced in 882 races of 31 years(!). Whether Johnson goes as long as Martin is anyone's guess, but he's already setting his sites on races outside of NASCAR.
"From my standpoint, from where I sit today, the bottom line is I'm still enjoying it and there still are races I want to race after NASCAR like the 24 hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona," he said.
But before he gets there, he has more NASCAR races to run, and a season he hopes is better than last.
"Obviously, we struggled last year," Johnson said. "We got off to a decent start (two wins in the first eight races). But as the year progressed, it became harder and harder to right the ship. We're turning the page."