When he starts Saturday’s Mint 400 Unlimited Race, Jimmie Johnson will run his first off-road event of any kind since 1997 and make his return to the desert after 31 years. Given his legacy as one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers, he hopes his entry will bring the Mint to an audience that closely followed him on his journey to seven Cup Series titles.

Speaking with Hurricane Felton during contingency on Thursday, Johnson outlined two main goals for the race: “enjoy” it and “promote” it.

“I’m hopeful that maybe there are some asphalt fans out there that don’t know this world, that we can shed some light on it and help grow a little support for it,” he said.

“I’m just thrilled to be back, seeing so many old friends. My dad’s back out, my youngest brother is, we spent a lot of time in the BFGoodrich world and my dad ran one of their pits for for many years. My whole start into racing was based on a tire sponsorship from BFG back in the Mickey Thompson days, so it’s great to be back and see all these old friends.”

Before winning seven Cup championships, Johnson began his career in stadium trucks with MTEG. Chevrolet gave him a chance in desert racing as part of the 1995 SCORE campaign, though it was a short-lived stint before he went back to short course in SODA. His desert switch came after the original Mint 400 had been canceled in 1994, and its revival was not until 2008 when he was already a two-time Cup champ.

Of course, off-road racing has changed a lot in the three decades since his last start. Manufacturer support and how races are broadcast differ from how they were in the ’90s. Even then, he’s impressed by how large everything seems to be.

“To see the attendance today, to hear the car count, I never remembered it being this big,” he admitted.

Troy Herbst is the Driver of Record for the #84 Unlimited Truck 2WD since Terrible Herbst Motorsports prepared it. Johnson feels the truck can be competitive on Saturday given the team’s track record, but he stressed his entry is “predicated on having a good time. I know once the helmets go on, we’ll get serious and see what we can get.”

He isn’t the only driver with NASCAR experience in the field. Robby Gordon, who raced alongside Johnson in the Cup Series throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, is also entered for Saturday in a 4WD truck. Brian Hoar and Jean-Paul Cyr, both legends of the regional American Canadian Tour, are doing the Limited Race on Friday as is longtime NASCAR road course ringer P.J. Jones.

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