MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson is back in NASCAR, only this time as a stakeholder at the Petty GMS Racing NASCAR Cup Series team.
Johnson also intends to run up to five races in the NASCAR Cup Series for the team including the 65th Daytona 500 in February.
The announcement was made Friday morning at Phoenix International Raceway, site of Sunday’s NASCAR Championship race.
“It’s great to be back in NASCAR,” Johnson said. “When the IndyCar season ended, I started on this journey of what was next. Maury and I connected, this opportunity came to light and it’s the perfect fit for me.
“Team ownership makes so much sense at this stage of my career and after spending time with Maury and his family, talking with Mike (Beam), Dave (Elenz, crew chief of the No. 43) and Joey (Cohen, Director of Competition and Engineering), I realized this was something I wanted to be involved with from both the business perspective and on the competition side. If I’m going to commit to something like this, I want to make a difference and have something tangible to show for it when it’s all said and done. So, this opportunity with Petty GMS is all of that and much more.”
Johnson and Richard Petty are two of the only three drivers ever to win seven NASCAR Cup Series championships. The other is the late Dale Earnhardt, who was killed in a crash in the final turn of the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
The combination of Johnson and Petty could help boost the Chevrolet operation in terms of visibility and marketability for sponsors.
“What an exciting time for Petty GMS,” Petty said. “This year we’ve accomplished so much together with Maury and now adding Jimmie will only continue to help us grow. To have Jimmie – another seven-time champion – as a part of the team, and his abilities both on track and off will be special for Petty GMS. I’m looking forward to having him as a part of our team and seeing what we can build together.”
For the past two years, Johnson was a modern-day Walter Mitty of motorsports, stepping outside of his NASCAR world to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series as driver of the No. 48 Carvana/American Legion Honda at Chip Ganassi Racing as well as the No. 48 Ally Cadillac at Action Express in IMSA.
The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion won 83 Cup Series races for Hendrick Motorsports before he retired from full-time NASCAR competition following the 2020 season.
Despite his best efforts with a top-notch IndyCar team, Johnson quickly discovered the extreme difficulty adapting to a completely different form of racing. Although he often qualified in the back of the grid, Johnson made tangible progress from his first IndyCar race at Barber Motorsports Park in April 2021. Johnson’s first season in IndyCar was on street and road courses only and by the end of that first season, he was mid-pack.
He became a full-time IndyCar Series competitor in 2022, adding the oval races to his schedule. He quickly rediscovered his groove on the ovals, using a high line around Texas Motor Speedway to finish sixth after starting 18th.
Johnson was impressive during the Month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he was among the fastest drivers each day in practice and qualifications for the 106th Indianapolis 500. He made the Fast 12 and had a shot at the pole but bobbled entering turn one on his first lap. Despite three very fast laps to follow, his four-lap average put him 12th in the starting lineup.
Johnson called the actual race in the Indianapolis 500 one of the most frustrating in his career. His car dropped back in the pack, and he said he could not get it to handle properly so deep in the field.
With five laps left in the Indy 500, Johnson crashed in turn two when he was already two laps down to the leader, teammate, and eventual winner Marcus Ericsson.
The highlight of Johnson’s two-season IndyCar career came in the Hy-Vee IndyCar Weekend at Iowa Speedway. He started 15th and raced his way to the front, leading 19 laps before finishing 11th in the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 on the short oval.
The following day, Johnson scored the highest finish of his IndyCar career when he was fifth in the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300.
At that time, Johnson was committed to a full-time return to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2023, pending approval from his sponsor, Carvana.
But by the final race of the season at WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca, Carvana had agreed to continue in Johnson’s racing endeavors, but the driver had reservations about another full season in IndyCar.
Ten days after the season ended, Johnson announced he was stepping back from full-time racing in 2023. He said he had a list of “Bucket List” races that he wanted to compete in. Those included the 24 Hours of LeMans for NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports “Garage 56” entry next June. He also wanted to attempt “The Double” by running in the 107th Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 the same day.
With Friday’s announcement, Johnson could run the 600 in the extra car at Petty GMS. Presumably, Chip Ganassi Racing was set to add an extra Honda-powered car to the lineup for Johnson in the 107th Indianapolis 500, but that is now uncertain with Johnson a stakeholder with a NASCAR Chevrolet team.
Petty GMS was formed in December 2021 when Gallagher, a two-time NASCAR Truck Series Championship team owner, purchased Richard Petty Motorsports. Petty, “The King”, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class member, and the all-time winningest driver in NASCAR history, will continue with the team his family started in 1949. Mike Beam, who began his career with Petty Enterprises as crew chief for Kyle Petty in the early 1980s, will remain in his role as team President.
“I couldn’t be happier to have Jimmie Johnson joining Petty GMS,” team owner Maury Gallagher said. “We have been consistent since we began our Cup effort last year in wanting to be up front and have a winning program. No one in the modern era of NASCAR has won more than Jimmie.
“Having a driver, the caliber of Jimmie, driving our equipment and being able to provide feedback to our crew chiefs and engineers but most importantly, mentoring Erik Jones and Noah Gragson will be invaluable. Perhaps most important of all, Jimmie will be a great partner. I know I speak for all the Petty GMS team members, including Richard Petty, in welcoming Jimmie to the team. No one else will be able to say they have two seven-time Cup champions on their team. We are looking to make a strong statement next year and show that we are here to contend for wins and championships. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together.”
The remainder of Johnson’s racing schedule, partnerships, paint scheme and car number will be revealed at a future date.
“I’m fortunate that I had incredible mentors throughout my life, and I’ve always tried to pay that forward,” Johnson said. “My experience and energy will add value to a team with young drivers like Erik and Noah – I feel like I can be a good resource both on and off the track.”
Petty GMS competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, currently operating the No. 42 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and the No. 43 Chevrolet for Erik Jones. The newly formed team brought together two storied organizations in December 2021. Over the last decade, owner Maury Gallagher built a victorious team, capturing two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships, one ARCA Menards Series title, and two ARCA Menards Series East championships, as well as 65 wins and 235 top-five finishes across six series.
Richard Petty, a member of the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2010, serves as Chairman of Petty GMS. Petty, known as “The King,” accumulated 200 wins and was the first of three drivers to win seven championships in the Cup Series.
Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, sharing the all-time record with stock car racing legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Johnson’s run of five championships in a row (2006-2010), is one of the greatest ever seen in sports. To date, he is the only race car driver in history to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (2009). After Johnson’s final full-time season in NASCAR, he competed for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series in 2021 and 2022.
Johnson and wife Chandra are co-founders of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, which focuses on K-12 public education and has contributed more than $12.4 million to organizations and schools in need across the U.S., since its inception in 2006. The Johnson family resides in Charlotte, N.C., with daughters Genevieve and Lydia.