Jimmie Johnson Says Respect Has Disappeared in NASCAR After Being Turned Twice in Truck Race

Jimmie Johnson said respect among drivers has disappeared from NASCAR racing after he competed in the Truck Series event at Naval Base Coronado on June 19, 2026. Johnson, 50, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and seven-time Cup Series champion, returned to competition in the Truck Series race.

He said the change became clear when he moved from the front of the field into the middle of the pack after alternating strategies placed him among drivers exchanging repeated contact.

"When I came in, it was the era of pointing people by," Johnson said on June 20. "I got my butt chewed by numerous Cup guys, even when I was in the Busch Series, that I raced them too hard. As time went on, I realized that when I was going forward and had a chance to pass them, they could make life really tough on me.

Johnson said that standard no longer applies. "That's completely out the window," he said. He attributed the shift to stage racing, changes in car performance, and the aero disadvantage that now allows drivers to defend positions more aggressively.

During the June 19 race Johnson said he saw drivers "gouging each other nonstop" while he and others at the front continued to point each other by. "I looked around and saw these trucks all twisted up, and I thought they hit the wall," he said. "And maybe some did, but it was all of them, all from bashing into one another on the track.

Johnson said the behavior contrasted with the etiquette he encountered early in his career, when drivers who received respect could expect cooperation on the track. com reported.