Some Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers are training in ways they never have before. Jimmie Johnson isn’t shy about being one of those drivers.
Neither is his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., for that matter.
In an Instagram video posted Thursday, Johnson showed off his abilities on the ski slopes. And if the seven-time Cup champion was going for the quintessential “ski dad” look, he totally nailed it.
Despite not exactly tackling a black diamond, moseying around a mountain with a camera in your face could potentially lead to injury. Johnson, though, is just trying to have fun.
“You can get run over by a car cycling, running. You can step off the curb in front of a bus,” Johnson said when asked about his skiing video Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, via NBC Sports. “Again, I feel like every driver is willing to take certain risks for their fitness and to live their life. Me being on those skis, that’s more about living my life and doing something I enjoy.”
For Johnson, living his life might mean being able to get away from the rigors of being a professional athlete, a lifestyle that could lead to some athletes retiring from their sports before many expect.
“If I stay in this little quarantined area, I might go Carl Edwards, and I don’t want to do that,” Johnson said, via NBC Sports. “I need to live my life, and this is the way I do it.
“Sure, there’s a lot of drivers right now getting fit, a lot of guys are choosing to ride the bike. Someone is going to fall and get hurt. It just happens.”
So far, Johnson’s bid for an eighth Cup championship hasn’t gone well, as he currently sits 14th in the Cup standings.
