Eric Johnson, an American media legend and life-time friend to us here at mxlarge, caught up with the greatest supercross rider of all time, the legandary racer, Jeremy McGrath. Below is what came out of that conversation.

While a group of mechanics and technicians attended to the Monster Energy Kawasaki KX450F up on a bike stand before him, seven-time AMA Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath sat on the back fender of a Kawasaki Team Green box van and thought about taking a bit out of a turkey sandwich.

Meanwhile, the 72-time main event winner who almost singlehandedly took the sport of supercross into the mainstream, looked on while a group of photographers snapped images of Kawasaki team racers Cameron McAdoo, Garrett Marchbanks, Chase Sexton and Seth Hammaker. At the 2026 Kawasaki Racing Team photo shoot at the Kawasaki test track nestled in the hills above Corona, Calif., McGrath is tuned in both on and off the motorcycle.

“I think you obviously want to have some fun out here, but also do it with some respect, you know? The bikes these days are so gnarly and so fast, and I do not ride all the time, and then trying to ride supercross out here, it’s a bit of a challenge," he admits, candid as ever. "I have to argue with myself when I’m out there that I don’t just try and go hard. I have to make myself not do the whoops, and then there are the bigger jumps out there. It’s a constant battle because I want to just go out there and go like I’m 20 years old again. It’s a blast riding my bike. I do ride my motorcycle, but I just never ride supercross. It’s always sketchy when I do.”

Having raced to his first professional supercross victory upon the No. 125 Team Green Kawasaki in 1990, McGrath would power on to race throughout the 2002 competition season. Still heavily involved in the sport, “Showtime” McGrath talked about what he’s been up to lately.

“I do a lot of stuff for Kawasaki,” explains McGrath. "I actually drive Side By Sides a lot. We go out to the desert and do all that. We also have a bike company right now. We have an E-bike company called 101 Bikes. It’s me, Scott Spekovic and Eddie Cole and a few other guys. So we mess around with that. I still host a show for Kawasaki called the Kawasaki Science of Supercross. 2026 Supercross is coming up, so there are a lot of requests going on for things that I need to be involved with through Kawasaki.

"I also help my wife with her store. She’s got a store called TaDah Hone Décor in Solana Beach and I feel blessed that I don’t have to go to work 9-to-5, which is great. I go down there and hang out and do handyman stuff and work on things. It’s cool. It’s like therapy. It’s good. I also have one daughter, Bergen, still in High School playing lacrosse, so we’re still In sports and stuff like that. My other daughter, Rhowan, is at TCU. She’s been out of the house for a year and a half. But yeah, I’ve just been hangings with Kim and doing family stuff.”

On the outside and looking in as a retired racer, from the back of the Kawasaki box van, McGrath offered his take on the vibe he feels the sport reverberates in the modern era.

“It’s pretty cutthroat these days,” McGrath says. “I feel like there is a lot of pressure on these guys. I think it’s a different atmosphere than when I was a kid. It was a more of a fun feeling and not so much a corporate feeling. But I mean, with more exposure, more money and bigger sponsors, that stuff kind of happens. These kids don’t know any different because it has been that way since they started.”

How would McGrath deal with the sport’s current climate and culture if he were racing in 2026?

“I would just try to make it as relaxed as possible, you know? It’s a pretty tense atmosphere out here," he says. Everyone is fighting for real estate, of course. They’re fighting for their jobs and they’re fighting for the spot on the team and to be the best guy out here. It’s neat for me to see Chase Sexton because I’m a fan still of the races and it is going to be interesting to see him on a Kawasaki. Overall, yeah, I don’t put too much thought into it anymore. I’m still a huge fan of it. I love it.”

How does McGrath feel hanging out with the current generation of Supercross athletes?

“They are all real respectful,” says McGrath. “Everyone is cool. I think they have a nice vibe around the team. I tell you, it’s flattering, for sure, to get these invites and be involved and have access to race bikes and stuff like that. Sometimes it feels a little bit like I don’t want to be in the way of these guys. They’re the new school guys. I want to be respectful of that, too.”

With the opening round of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship set for Anaheim's Angel Stadium on Jan. 10, it’s all systems go for supercross racers, and like them, McGrath can't wait.

“Anaheim is still the Mac Daddy,” declares McGrath, who won eight premier class races inside the Angels' baseball stadium. “It is the top of the top. I think when we all get there, we are all hyped. I still get real nervous and have a lot of fun, just like I was racing back in the day.

"I loved the racing. I was one of the lucky ones to have a lot of race wins but I don’t think the race wins stand out as much as missing the lights and the fans at night. I think for me that’s a really special moment that you don’t really recognize when you’re doing it. You kind of take it for granted. I loved racing under the lights and hearing the crowd. I loved that. Naturally, it’s not going to happen forever, but It’s just one of those things you really miss.

"I also miss the days of shooting videos with Fox Racing. We were growing up, man! We were just learning how to be men at that time. My first 250 win was 1993 at Anaheim. That was a local race for me. You get superpowers at your local race. That was a monumental night for me.”