Yahoo Autos Jimmie Johnson Officially Joins Petty GMS, Returns to NASCAR
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Two years after retiring from full-time NASCAR competition and just months after retiring from full-time racing competition in general, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is back in stock car racing. Johnson, as reported earlier this week, will join Petty GMS as both a part-owner and part-time driver.
Johnson's part-time schedule will start with the Daytona 500, a race that he has already won twice. No other events are officially scheduled yet, but Johnson has previously stated that he has some interest in completing "the double" by racing both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. If rules could be tweaked to make room for exceptional part-time drivers like Johnson and Indianapolis qualifying duties do not get in the way, he could also appear at the highly-anticipated All-Star Race at the recently revived North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Johnson's car number and sponsors are still unannounced. As part of the deal, Johnson has also taken a stake in the Petty GMS team and will also be a part-owner of the No. 42 and No. 43 cars of Noah Gragson and Erik Jones next season. Despite his new ownership stake, the team will still retain the name Petty GMS.
In addition to his NASCAR starts, Johnson is also currently expected to join the Garage56 stock car program at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and is still in the mix for an entry in the 2023 Indianapolis 500. Johnson stated during this year's Petit Le Mans that his 2021 and 2022 part-time IMSA program with Cadillac is on pause due to the brand's relatively low supply of its new LMDh-spec prototype, but that program could resume in 2024. Due to the nature of his part-time commitments in every series, Johnson would be able to race just about any other weekend in just about any other car that he would be able to fund.
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