Jimmie Johnson is returning to NASCAR after spending the last two years competing at IndyCar. The 47-year-old joined Petty GMS Motorsports as a part-time driver and owner and will compete in selected races this year. Johnson drove the No. 48 car since he began competing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2001. But with the number belonging to Hendrick Motorsports and driver Alex Bowman, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will have a new number for the new season.
Johnson’s new number hasn’t been officially announced. But in an interview with Forbes, Petty GMS president Mike Beam hinted that Johnson could be driving the No. 49 car. “Once we made the announcement with Jimmie, people started connecting the dots. Seven times seven is 49,” Beam said. “We have two seven-time champions and if you multiply seven times seven, you get 49. That would be a perfect number for our team with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.”
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Johnson officially joined Perry GMS in November and said returning the NASCAR was something he wanted to do. “So when I left here, I really had no idea what was in store for me,” Johnson said at the time, per NASCAR.com. “I knew I wanted to try IndyCar and had an amazing experience there. And stepping away from full-time IndyCar, I wanted to create a good eight-to-10-race schedule with just really fun races, and then certainly coming back to NASCAR. And as this conversation started, it’s just … it’s one that I really had to pay close attention to, and an offer and an opportunity that, it’s just a life-changing opportunity for me and one that I had to take. So I’m very excited about this.”
Johnson is one of the most decorated NASCAR drivers of all time. Along with winning the Cup Series title seven times, Johnson is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 named Driver of the Year five times, named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 2009 and won 83 Cup Series races with 374 top-10 finishes. Johnson made his IndyCar debut in 2021 and finished 26th in total points. He competed in a full schedule in 2022 and was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year as he led in the race before taking his final pit stop and then crashing.
