CONCORD, N.C. – Today, Jimmie Johnson joins teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in another decade of life.
Johnson is turning 40.
"I can't run from it or hide from it. This one definitely is getting my attention," Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet SS, said. "Thirty-nine blew on by. Forty, it's a number. Never thought I'd be 40."
Gordon, who turned 40 a few years ago, believes the landmark isn't as scary as people make it out to be.
"I think of myself and through the years and what that meant and life, in my opinion, has only gotten better after 40. The way Jimmie is going, I can see that happening for him as well."
Through his four wins, 11 top-five finishes and 17 top-10s so far this year, it seems Johnson has already begun to prove that to be true.
"I look around at other 40-year-olds and I'm like, 'Really? I look like that? I'm that guy?'" he smiled. "I still feel like I'm a teenager, or maybe in my 20s at the most. But it's a reality I better get ready for."
Johnson will celebrate the big 4-0 in Chicago at Chase Media Day. The now-40-year-old is a contender in this year's Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, searching for his seventh championship to end the year.
That would be a nice birthday present he wouldn't mind taking home. Happy birthday, Jimmie!