Yahoo Autos NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, Legacy Motor Club Join Extreme E Grid
Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion and NASCAR team owner Jimmie Johnson is leading the Legacy Motor Club into the electric circus of the FIA Extreme E series.
Legacy Motor Club will make it's Extreme E debut as the series kicks off its fourth season in Saudi Arabia, February 17-18. Extreme Sports legend and former NASCAR racer Travis Pastrana and fellow American Gary Ledbetter will drive the team's Legacy M.C. Odyssey all-electric SUV this season.
New NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Johnson, who plans to race in select events, will miss the opener due to a rather significant scheduling conflict this weekend—namely the Daytona 500.
"The opportunity for Legacy MC to field an off-road vehicle in the Extreme E championship is exciting in many ways," Johnson said. "We are essentially representing America in this unique and very competitive series and we are committed to the challenge. I’m excited to watch our Legacy Motor Club colors race on foreign soil for the first time while I’m in Daytona for the Great American race. I know Travis and Gray will represent us well and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish.”
“Our goal is to learn as much as we can and see what the future might bring. The fact this series competes globally and focuses on sustainably, inclusion, and equality really piques our interest. From a technical standpoint, the changeover to hydrogen in 2025 is really intriguing and the entire motorsports community is watching closely. Personally for me as a driver, going back to my off-road roots and to the type of racing I started my career with is going to be a blast.”
Johnson will join a series that also includes teams led by racing greats Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Michael Andretti and Chip Ganassi.
The series is transitioning to become Extreme H—a hydrogen-powered series—next year.
“It is fantastic for Extreme E to welcome Jimmie Johnson and LEGACY M.C. to the championship. Jimmie’s credentials speak for themselves, and we cannot wait to see him behind the wheel of the Odyssey 21," said Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E.
For this week's Desert X Prix, both Pastrana and Leadbetter will make their Extreme E debuts.
Leadbetter, 19 from Morganton, NC, started driving in the Championship Off-Road series in 2019 and was the first woman to win a US Pro Class Championship in the Championship Off-Road closed-course series, winning four races overall to take the crown. Pastrana. 40, is a three-time motocross champion, X Games gold medalist. Pasgtrana race a full season in the NASCAR Xfinity series in 2013 and started the 2023 Daytona 500, where he raced against Johnson.
“I have quite a bit of experience in electric vehicles, although I've never been in an Extreme E Odyssey 21 before," Pastrana said. "I compete in a lot of off-road events and some desert stuff—mostly on two wheels—but this should be really fun for us. I believe in Jimmie Johnson and in Legacy MC and all he is doing with the Club, so when he asked me it was a no-brainer."
Extreme E 2024 Schedule
February 17-18: Saudi Arabia
July 13-14: Europe, Location TBD
Sept. 14-15: Sardinia, Italy
Sept. 21-22: Sardinia, Italy
Nov. 23-24: USA, Location TBD
