Boldest 2018 NASCAR prediction: Jimmie Johnson retires at end of season

One former NASCAR driver thinks it’s possible we’ll say goodbye to one of the all-time greats of the sport after Homestead.

For the first time in years, Jimmie Johnson is a bit of a question mark heading into a new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The second-half slump that afflicted him and the 48 team could linger, or they could bounce right back and contend for another title in 2018. No one at this point would be shocked either way.

But could that uncertainty extend to how long he plans on continuing to race? FOX NASCAR analyst Regan Smith thinks so.

Smith, a former Cup Series driver himself, was among the people on NASCAR Race Hub on FS1 recently who was asked for his bold predictions for the upcoming season. Most of the answers given were about who would win their first races, including William Byron, Erik Jones and Chase Elliott.

Smith went in a decidedly different direction.

"“I think this is the last year we see Jimmie Johnson race. I think he’s going to retire after this year. I don’t have any inside information, but something tells me he has to be getting to that point in his career.”"

When it was pointed out to him on Twitter that Johnson signed an extension that would keep him with Hendrick Motorsports through 2020, he didn’t back down — nor did he suggest that he personally thought Johnson would hang it up.

https://twitter.com/ReganSmith/status/959405066066251776

Props to Smith for going out on a more fragile limb than the analysts who simply tried to figure out who would get to Victory Lane for the first time. But could he be onto something?

It depends on how you read the tea leaves. On one hand, there should be little doubt that both Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus believe that they can get the 48 back in championship-contending form. That’s the kind of confidence that’s born of having done it so many times before.

Known for his obsession with fitness, Johnson’s age shouldn’t matter either. As long as he’s running up front and winning races, we should see him see out his current contract.

Next: Chad Knaus lauds "re-dedicated" Jimmie Johnson

The question would be if he’s not. Johnson recently told Autosport that he “never worked so hard in my life to get such little return” when talking about his 2017 season. It’s important to remember, too, that he was essentially talking about only the second half, as he looked fine through the spring and into the early summer.

What if that half-season drought turns into a year and a half? Johnson seems too proud to stick around when he’s not where he expects to be. He doesn’t need to stick around for money or fame, and his accomplishments already rank him among the best of all time.

Viewed through that lens, maybe Smith’s look into his crystal ball isn’t as nuts as it might first seem on the surface. It’s just going to have to be a “see it to believe it” deal, because we’ve seen what happens when Johnson is counted out or doubted in the past. In other words, while it’s not impossible to envision him hanging it up after the 2018 season, it’s still probably less likely than seeing him accept his eighth NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy.

Once that becomes a bold prediction, then you know things really have changed.