When you think of Jimmie Johnson, you're probably picturing a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion calmly dissecting a corner at Dover or holding a trophy at Daytona. You definitely aren't picturing him racing a motorized bathtub against a guy in a dumpster.
But back in 2011, that’s exactly what he wanted you to do.
Jimmie Johnson’s Anything with an Engine is one of those bizarre artifacts of the seventh-generation console era. It was released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the Wii, but it didn't exactly set the world on fire. Most people saw the box art—which, frankly, looks like a piece of budget shovelware—and kept walking. Honestly? That was a bit of a mistake. While it’s no Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, there’s a weirdly competent, almost soulful arcade racer buried under all that 2011-era "extreme" marketing.
The Story Behind the Madness
Usually, when a celebrity athlete puts their name on a game, it’s a pure licensing play. They show up, record three lines of dialogue, and cash the check. Jimmie Johnson actually pitched this thing. He grew up in El Cajon, California, and his childhood philosophy was literally "if it has an engine, I'll race it." He wasn't talking about stock cars back then; he was talking about barstools, lawnmowers, and whatever else his friends could strap a motor to.
He teamed up with Isopod Labs—a studio founded by veterans from Luxoflux, the folks behind Vigilante 8. If you know your gaming history, that name should carry some weight. They knew how to handle car combat. Konami and Autumn Games published it, and the result was a kart racer that replaced the "kart" part with "garbage."
Why Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an Engine Is Weirder Than You Remember
You don't pick a car in this game. You pick a "character" who happens to be fused to a household object. There’s a guy named Megaton who drives a nuclear bomb. There's a character called The Farmer who races a high-powered tractor. It’s got that gritty, slightly gross-out humor style that was everywhere in the late 2000s—think Ratchet & Clank meets Twisted Metal but for kids (it was rated E10+).
The gameplay actually tried to innovate. Most kart racers give you items from random boxes. In Jimmie Johnson’s Anything with an Engine, you have to win over the crowd to get your weapons.
The Fan Vote System
As you race, you perform drifts, hit jumps, and bash opponents. This earns you "fans." The more fans you have, the more you level up your weapon systems.
- Level 1: Basic mines or missiles.
- Level 2: More punch, better targeting.
- Level 3: Absolute chaos.
It changed the strategy. You couldn't just hang out in last place and hope for a "Blue Shell" equivalent. If you weren't driving with style, you were defenseless.
Pit Stops in a Kart Racer?
This is where the NASCAR influence actually leaked in. Your vehicle would take damage. If you got hammered by too many missiles, you had to pull into a pit lane. It wasn't just a passive heal, either. You had to mash buttons to get your crew to fix the car and reload your munitions. It created a genuine risk-reward loop. Do you skip the pit to stay in first, knowing a single mine will blow you to pieces on the final lap? Or do you take the five-second penalty to get back to full health?
The Jimmy Fallon Connection
If you think the game itself is weird, look at the DLC. For reasons that probably made sense in a 2011 boardroom, "Agent Fallon"—as in, Jimmy Fallon from The Tonight Show—was added as a playable character. He drove a high-tech "spy" vehicle, and a portion of the proceeds went to the American Red Cross. It's easily one of the most "Wait, that's real?" cameos in gaming history.
What it's Like to Play Today
If you track down a copy now, the first thing you'll notice is the difficulty. The AI is brutal. Even on the "Rookie" setting, the computer racers will hunt you down with a terrifying, singular focus. It doesn't have the rubber-banding of modern racers; it just expects you to be good at it.
The tracks are surprisingly creative. You’re racing through prehistoric jungles, medieval castles, and "theatrically" staged sets. It’s all very meta—the game acknowledges it's a televised event. One of the best modes is "Matador," which is basically a figure-eight race where half the pack is going the opposite direction. It’s a recipe for head-on collisions that would make a real NASCAR steward faint.
The Visuals and Performance
Look, it's a 2011 budget title. The Wii version looks... rough. It’s muddy and the frame rate can chug when the pyrotechnics go off. If you’re going to play it, find the Xbox 360 or PS3 version. They have a certain "grubby" charm to them that fits the dumpster-racing aesthetic.
Why Nobody Talks About It
It was buried. It came out in November 2011. Do you know what else came out in November 2011? Skyrim. Modern Warfare 3. Saints Row: The Third. Uncharted 3.
A budget racer about Jimmie Johnson driving a motorized sofa didn't stand a chance. It was also a North American exclusive for a long time, meaning a huge chunk of the world never even saw it on store shelves.
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How to Experience it Now
You can't buy this digitally on modern storefronts. The licenses have likely expired, and Isopod Labs isn't around in the same capacity. You have to go the physical route.
- Used Copies: You can usually find the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions for under $15 on eBay.
- Emulation: It’s a bit hit-or-miss. For instance, the Xenia emulator (for Xbox 360) can run it, but it's known to have graphical glitches or crashes during the tutorial.
- Collectibles: If you're a die-hard Jimmie Johnson fan, keep an eye out for the 1/24 scale die-cast car Action produced. It features the #7 "Anything with an Engine" paint scheme he actually ran at Watkins Glen in the Nationwide Series to promote the game. Only about 734 of them were made, making them a legitimate rarity.
Jimmie Johnson's Anything with an Engine isn't a masterpiece. It's a loud, clunky, slightly ugly, and surprisingly deep combat racer that represents a time when sports stars were allowed to make weird, personal passion projects. It's a glimpse into the "anything goes" spirit of one of racing's greatest legends, and honestly, we need more of that weirdness in gaming today.
Go find a copy, pick the guy on the barstool, and try not to get blown up by a soda-keg mine. It’s better than you think.