- Daniel Suárez: 300 starts
- Ryan Preece: 200 starts
- Ty Gibbs: 100 starts
Jimmie Johnson makes 700th career Cup Series start
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
The green flag of Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway marked 700 career Cup Series starts for NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. He became the 21st driver in history to achieve the milestone, and it came at the track where he made his debut on Oct. 7, 2001.
"To reach my 700th start at the very race and track where my Cup career began makes this moment incredibly special," Johnson said. "It’s a full-circle journey, and to share it with fans on Memorial Day weekend while honoring a fallen service member adds even more meaning.”
RELATED: Jimmie Johnson through the years | Driver biography
The majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, Johnson rolled off 17th in his second and final scheduled start of the 2025 season. Since his full-time retirement in 2020, the 49-year-old has made sporadic starts over the last three years, including nine last year in the No. 84 Toyota. His third-place result in this year's Daytona 500 was his best finish since finishing fifth in his final race with Hendrick Motorsports.
However, Johnson couldn't continue his momentum from Daytona in February as a Lap 112 crash ended the veteran's Coca-Cola 600 abruptly. He got loose exiting Turn 4, a trouble spot for many early on in the 400-lapper, also claiming Cole Custer and Connor Zilisch. Johnson limped his Toyota to the garage and chalked up the incident as "a rookie mistake with these cars."
Johnson drove the No. 48 Chevrolet for HMS for 19 seasons, missing just one race in that time. He won seven championships, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most of all time. His 83 race victories tie Cale Yarborough for the sixth most in NASCAR history.
Other drivers achieving milestone starts Sunday included: