Jimmie Johnson unveils Throwback paint scheme and discusses IndyCar future
.JPG "Jimmie Johnson prepares before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)")
NASCAR teams are rolling out new paint schemes ahead of Darlington’s Throwback weekend for the Southern 500 on Sept. 6.
Ryan Newman and Roush Fenway Racing are throwing back to Newman’s USAC days when he won the 1999 Championship with an Oscar Mayer paint scheme for the No. 6 Ford. Tyler Reddick is running a funky red, blue and yellow palette on his No. 8 Chevy as a tribute to the same scheme former driver Jeff Burton ran when he accepted Rookie of the Year honors in 1994. And seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team unveiled a unique design for the No. 48 Chevy on Wednesday that references the schemes of other seven-time championship drivers Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
“I’m proud to honor these two legends and what they’ve meant to me and the sport with this 7x scheme at Darlington. #RichardPetty #DaleEarnhardt,” Johnson tweeted Wednesday.
The paint scheme design features elements from Earnhardt’s iconic No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet from the 1990s and Petty’s No. 43 Dodge Charger from the 70s. The side panels of the No. 48 Throwback scheme references the black and silver coloring of Earnhardt’s car, while the top of the car pulls from the blue of Petty’s Charger with an orange-red stripe running down the middle. Johnson’s Ally Financial sponsor logo is featured on the hood, but the car’s number on top is painted in the same font as Petty’s car.
“Look at it from the top, all it needs is 43 instead of 48,” Petty said on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, the Dale Jr. Download, in reaction to seeing the design for the first time.
Earnhardt Jr. said on the podcast that he was included in the design process to help advise on the paint scheme honoring his father, but Johnson was the creative force behind the idea.
“This is a home-freaking-run,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Grand slam. You drove in everybody.”
Earnhardt Jr. said that he appreciated the reference to NASCAR history for the Darlington race weekend, adding that it “really means a lot to the fans in our sport that really invest, the fans that have been following it for a long time.”
“The new fans that are learning about who these other drivers are that you’re honoring,” Earhnardt Jr. said. “That Throwback Weekend does a lot more than I think people understand in really educating some of our new fans and also allowing some of our older fans to relive some of the past.”
Earnhardt Jr. also questioned the Hendrick driver about what lies ahead after the season, an increasingly hot topic as the NASCAR calendar winds down. Johnson, 44, announced before the season that 2020 would be his last as a full-time NASCAR Cup driver, and has since expressed interest in racing through other motorsports series. Johnson completed an IndyCar test with Chip Ganassi Racing during the break in the NASCAR schedule last month and gave the experience rave reviews.
He expanded on that interest on the podcast, saying that he would like to run the full IndyCar road course and street circuit next season.
“Following that test date, it sparked what I needed,” Johnson said. “And I’ve been able to tell the teams that I’m talking with, ‘Hey, the interest is there.’ ”
Johnson said that it’s a “tricky time right now” for securing corporate partnerships due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that he’s working on securing funding for the year. He said that conversations with future teams are taking place and an announcement should come in the next four to six weeks about his future moves. Still, he made one thing clear.
“That would be my dream world,” Johnson said. “To run 12 or 13 IndyCar races.”
Johnson finished fourth last weekend racing a stock car at Daytona’s road course for NASCAR’s first Cup Series race at the track. While Johnson said that competing in the Indy 500 was his childhood dream and that the race is “on his radar,” he wants to see how new car changes unfold this year before entering.
“I would sign a two-year deal to go into car racing for all their road and street circuits,” Johnson reiterated. “So in ’22, I would maybe look at the 500.”
The Indy 500 takes place this Sunday, the same day NASCAR runs its second race of its doubleheader weekend at Dover International Speedway. Then the series is back to Daytona for the final race of the regular season before heading to Darlington, where Johnson will throw it back in NASCAR history before looking ahead to a likely IndyCar future.
