By David Morgan, Associate Editor
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Jimmie Johnson may have stepped away from full-time racing two years ago, but on Friday at Phoenix Raceway, he made his return in a big way.
The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will join forces with Petty GMS in an ownership role, which will also include some driving opportunities on a part-time basis starting in 2023. Among the races that Johnson will compete in is the 65th running of the Daytona 500.
Since he ended his full-time Cup career, Johnson has run in the NTT IndyCar Series over the past two seasons, but never quite closed the door on NASCAR. After announcing that he would not return to IndyCar full-time next season, the conversations between he and Petty GMS ramped up, which led to Friday’s news.
“It’s great to be back in NASCAR,” Johnson said. “When the INDYCAR season ended I started on this journey of what was next. Maury 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.”
With Johnson on board, the team now boasts 14 championships and 283 Cup Series wins among its ownership group, as fellow seven-time champion “The King” Richard Petty is one of the team’s namesakes.
Since Petty and GMS merged into its current iteration before this season, the team has turned the corner and is only looking to continue their upward trajectory into the future. Current team driver and winner of the 2022 Southern 500 at Darlington returns next season, along with Noah Gragson, who joins the team in 2023 following a stout Xfinity Series career with JR Motorsports.
“What an exciting time for Petty GMS,” said Petty. “This year we’ve accomplished so much together with Maury and now adding Jimmie will only continue to help us grow. To have Jimmie – another seven-time champion – as a part of the team, and his abilities both on track and off will be…
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