NASCAR Hall of Fame racer Jimmie Johnson built a career on split-second decision-making at 200 miles per hour. But one habit he credits most for his success has nothing to do with speed or winning the most trophies—it’s showing up early.
“Being 10 minutes early for a meeting is on time,” Johnson recently told Fortune in an interview. “I can’t tell you how many times that left an impression, and I stood out of a crowd for whatever it was, even just sponsor visits or actually showing up for a real interview.”
It’s the kind of advice Johnson now offers Gen Z workers trying to get ahead: focus on the small things. Since retiring from full-time racing in 2020, Johnson has moved into team ownership and other business ventures, building an estimated net worth of over $150 million. Along the way, he’s learned that showing up—and showing up polished—oftentimes matters more than raw talent.
Johnson learned that lesson about appearances when he was trying to join a golf club. The head of the new-member committee was the father of a close friend, and he had some immediate feedback.
“’Son, you’re dressed so well, but damn, you need to shine those shoes,’” Johnson recalled him saying. “‘That looks terrible. Always shine your shoes. People notice.’”
He took the advice to heart—and still shines his shoes today. And while the habit of dressing for the job you want, not that you have, may sound minor or even cliche, Johnson said it can help someone stand out in a crowded field.
“The small things matter and help you cut from the fray in the very congested space,” he said.
The mindset helped carry him to a Hall of Fame career: 83 Cup Series wins, including the Daytona 500, and a share of the NASCAR record for most championships: seven, tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. In 2009, he became the first racer ever named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.
From trailer park kid who loved dirt bikes to one of NASCAR’s greatest racers
Johnson grew up in a trailer park in El Cajon, California—a small town northeast of San Diego—with his father working in construction and his mother driving a school bus. The oldest of three children, he started riding dirt bikes at 5 and was collecting trophies before he reached double digits.
“My parents sacrificed themselves for me and my brothers to experience the joy of racing,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have the nicest house, the nicest cars… but we had new motorcycles and traveled the country, taking dirt bikes all the time.”
That hobby eventually became a career. He skipped college after graduating from high school and went straight into professional racing—beginning with motorcycles before moving into off-road cars and, eventually, NASCAR.
Johnson said his parents never pressured him to pursue racing; instead, they kept a simple rule: “If we’re not having fun first, we’re not doing this.”
By age 30, Johnson had won his first NASCAR Cup Series championship, in 2006, driving the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. He would win six more championships over the next decade, cementing himself as one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history.
His career wasn’t defined by wins alone. Johnson endured crashes, blown tires and other setbacks, but said those failures were just as important to his development as the victories.
“All the failures and mishaps and all of that shaped me,” he said. “I’m really one shaped by failure. Lessons are easiest learned that way through my experience.”
Even into racing semi-retirement, Jimmie Johnson is still trying to figure out work-life balance
After hundreds of thousands of miles behind the wheel, Johnson eventually decided the demands of racing were taking their toll. In 2019, he announced he would retire from full-time racing at the end of the following season and recalled that his “fun meter was stuck on life support.”
The pandemic made for an unusual final season, with races held without fans. But stepping away gave Johnson a new perspective on what he had sacrificed for his career. He and his family later spent the two years living in London, giving him more time away from the racetrack—and more time to reflect on what he had missed.
He admitted he wished he was more available emotionally and physically, noting that he missed weddings and even funerals because of his commitment to racing.
“I’m out of the seat, and yeah, my schedule’s busy, but there was a layer of constant pressure that I couldn’t recognize as an elite athlete—and the selfishness required for that—and I say all this with full buy-in from my wife and support like you wouldn’t believe.”
In 2023, Johnson became the majority owner of Legacy Motor Club, a NASCAR Cup Series team, adding another demanding job to his plate.
Now, as he’s taken on more of an executive role expanding the group—and is even planning for one last NASCAR race at the 2027 Daytona 500—he says the push for work-life balance is back on.
“I’m failing at it right now,” he said.
“There are these moments that pop up … where I’m like, man, I’m way out of balance here,” Johnson added. “I’ve got to put some intent into this. So I think it’s a journey.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
