They share the same last name and once raced side by side not long after learning to walk under the same roof. But these days their driving careers are about a million miles removed from one another. So much so, in fact, that older brother Jimmie Johnson, the three-time defending Cup Series champion, recently implored younger brother Jarit to cease chasing his long-held racing dream.

"I have tried to get Jarit to quit. I would even bankroll his business, if he would just quit racing and go run his business. But the kid refuses to quit," Jimmie told friends.

The fact is, at 30 years of age, Jarit Johnson no longer is a kid. His famous older brother is 33 -- and while Jarit is willing to acknowledge that Jimmie knows a whole lot more about high-level stock-car racing than he does, Jarit has no intention of taking big bro's advice on this one.

"It's just passion. We've been in it for years, and this is what we know. I have a personal Late Model that I run with a team that's all volunteers," Jarit said. "Jimmie has really tried to push me away from racing, but I just can't get away from it."

The younger Johnson not only isn't getting away from it, he's now planning to take some time away from his car fabrication and restoration business to go racing on a more serious basis. Assuming funding comes through as promised, Johnson has been tabbed to run a full Camping World East schedule this year for newly-formed Trail Motorsports.

"I just want to go out there and have success right off the bat," Jarit said. "It's a good series. [Former Cup driver] Steve Park races in it; [Joey] Logano came from there; Marc Davis [now set to compete in the Camping World Truck Series on a limited basis] raced in it last year. It's not easy."

Then Jarit Johnson should fit right in. Nothing has ever come easy for him in racing.

He ran one Nationwide Series race last year, finishing 32nd at Memphis while driving for owner Armando Fitz, who now is heading up operations at Trail Motorsports.

In 2005, Jarit drove in two Truck Series races. He runs his Late Model car mostly at Hickory Speedway, where he has won several races.

"I'm just going to let it fly. This is my time. There is no turning back now," Jarit said.

"The way I look at it, the younger era of drivers is going away. I just turned 30. I'm getting an opportunity to drive full time in a series, and I really appreciate that. I'm just going to roll with it and see how far I can take it."

Jimmie said that even he can't wait to see how far that is. "I'm so proud of him with what he's doing and how hard he's working to do it," Jimmie said. "He's a father of two, running a small business, and he has been trying to get the racing thing going on his own on the side.“ "When he came on the scene a couple years back, he just really didn't have the experience to get into a Nationwide car and get going. We had him in an ARCA race and in a couple Truck Series races. But it's such a tough world out there, chasing those sponsorship dollars. As his loving brother, I didn't want to see him chase this so far and not put any money away for his family, his home, his wife and his kids. So I was discouraging him from racing.

"I was like, 'I will help you with racing where I can. But I will help you more in trying to go to school, trying to start a small business, trying to do stuff to establish yourself.

I told him that racing would always be there for him to come back to at any point in time. I just didn't want to see him chase it and [have it] not work out."

Johnson was doing so as recently as a few weeks ago, but now said he's resigned to the fact that his little brother has to do what he believes he has to do. And he will do it alone, without much of Jimmie's help. Although it was Jimmie who initially introduced Jarit to Fitz, all parties involved agree that it was Jarit and his own abilities that took the relationship from there.

Jimmie has no financial stake in Jarit's current proposed Camping World East car, nor does he plan to at any time in the future. That's the way Jarit wants it. He insisted that even if Jimmie did offer financial assistance, "I won't take it. He's worked for what he has. He will invest in helping me with my business. That's where he wants to make sure everything is fine, so I can support my family. But that's not on the racing side of it.

"I want to work for what I get on the racing side. It just makes it more gratifying for me."

Jarit Johnson knows that the operation being proposed by Trail Motorsports is ambitious and admitted that he has concerns about the fact that the operation does not yet have a shop and has yet to formally announce sponsorships for planned cars in the Truck Series and Nationwide Series in addition to his own.

"I'll be completely honest with you: there are some concerns. But I have a 100 percent guarantee that everything will be financially fine," Jarit said. "As of right now, that's all I can base it off of and go off of -- and that's their word."

He also knows that he has his older brother's emotional if not financial support.
"Every opportunity that has come to him [previously], it's been like, 'Yeah, we'll put you in a truck if you can get Jimmie to drive five races for us, or if you can get Jimmie to shoot a commercial for us.' But he's his own man. He's himself," Jimmie said of Jarit. "He's his own driver who has built his credentials on his own. I hope he gets that chance this year. I'm excited for him."

Jarit added that he never was offended by Jimmie's earlier overtures to get him out of racing altogether.

"I completely understand where he's coming from. He's married, but it's just him and [wife] Chandra," Jarit said. "My wife [Trinity] and I have two kids -- a newborn [daughter Lillian] and a 2 ½-year-old [son Connor]. He would rather have me grow my business and get that off the ground than go racing. He knows how tough it is. He knows how much desire and will and everything has to be devoted to it. He just wanted to make sure I have a solid foundation with my business to provide for my family and stuff.

"But I'm not going let him push me away. It ain't gonna happen. I'm going to keep racin' no matter what." Obviously, it's in his blood.