7-time champ Johnson adds to his list of 2023 races
Jimmie Johnson will return to the NASCAR Cup Series soon.
The seven-time Cup champion and Legacy Motor Club owner announced on Tuesday that he will run in the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on March 26th and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28.
Club Wyndham will be his primary sponsor for these races.
Johnson will be driving the 84 car — just as he did in this year’s Daytona 500 and just as he planned to drive in the upcoming historic Chicago Street Race in July.
This will be Johnson’s first run at COTA. The first NASCAR Cup Series event there was hosted in May 2021, after Johnson had retired as a NASCAR Cup driver.
He will not be the only motorsports legend in the NASCAR Cup Series field at COTA. Two Formula 1 champions — Jenson Button (Rick Ware Racing) and Kimi Räikkönen (TrackHouse Racing) — will also be in the field.
Johnson, 47, emerged from retirement before the 2023 season, when he bought a stake in a race team thencalled Petty GMS. The team name was changed to Legacy Motor Club after his arrival.
Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 winner and has notched 83 race wins, which is tied for sixth all time.
“The Coke 600 is one of those premiere races on the schedule,” Johnson said in a release. “For fans, it’s truly one of the greatest days in motorsports with Monaco (Formula 1), INDYCAR’s Indianapolis 500, and then NASCAR’s longest race that starts in the afternoon and ends at night. Last year I lived out another ‘bucket list’ item and was able to race in the Indy 500. I’m looking forward to driving this Next Gen car at Charlotte and putting on a great show for Club Wyndham.”