Jimmie Johnson will return to NASCAR after two years of competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, announcing Nov. 4 he has bought into Petty GMS.
In addition to his new role as co-owner, Johnson will run a part-time Cup slate in 2023, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
The exact number of races, car number, crew chief and sponsorship for Johnson was not announced.
“I am excited to announce I’ve entered into an ownership agreement with Petty GMS,” Johnson tweeted. “I will be running a limited schedule in 2023, starting with the Daytona 500. I’m incredibly excited to be returning to my NASCAR family and look forward to building upon the combined legacy of our team.”
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) November 4, 2022
“It’s great to be back in NASCAR,” Johnson added in a team statement. “When the IndyCar season ended, I started on this journey of what was next. Maury [Gallagher, team co-owner] 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.”
“I couldn’t be happier to have Jimmie Johnson joining Petty GMS,” team owner Maury Gallager 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 and Noah 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…
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