The seven-time champion's part-time return to NASCAR is expected to come with the only team already partially owned by a seven-time champion.
Logan RielyGetty ImagesWhen seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson retired from full-time stock car racing to go IndyCar racing in 2020, he left the door open to part-time racing in the series where he had won 83 times before. He retired from full-time racing outright in September, but that announcement only left him with more time to potentially return to stock cars. Now, Johnson has a unique path to do just that.
Johnson is obtaining an ownership stake with the two-car Petty GMS team, joining a program that already lists fellow seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty among its ownership group, The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi reports that Johnson is also expected to drive in “select races” for the team, opening the door for the NASCAR legend to drive whenever and wherever he wants. That could include events at Johnson’s favorite tracks, one-off appearances in high-profile races, or even a potential “double” with an Indianapolis 500 ride that sees Johnson compete in the 500 in the morning before flying back to Charlotte for NASCAR’s 600-mile race later that day.
Petty GMS is technically a merger of the former Xfinity Series program Gallagher Motorsports and the former Richard Petty Motorsports, but it is better understood as a merger between the ambitions of Gallagher Motorsports and the existing assets of RPM. The team’s lead driver Erik Jones has a race win in the team’s first season, while current driver Ty Dillon is being replaced by Xfinity Series driver Noah Gragson in the team’s second car next year. Johnson’s races would likely be in a third, non-chartered car.
In addition to his runs with Petty GMS, Jimmie Johnson is expected to join the Garage56 stock car program at Le Mans in 2023. Johnson has spent the past two years racing a prototype part-time in IMSA’s endurance events and could eventually return to prototype racing, but the switch to a new LMDh-based top class has restricted the availability of those cars in 2023.
Keyword: Jimmie Johnson May Join Petty GMS NASCAR Program, Add Ownership Stake