Jimmie Johnson will not be the only part-time driver for Petty GMS Racing in 2023
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Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson acquired ownership stakes in the Petty GMS Racing team and will return to the cup series as a part-time owner-driver. He joined fellow record seven times cup champion Richard Petty and billionaire Maury Gallagher as co-owner. The NASCAR legends hold minority stakes in the team, and Gallagher is the majority owner.
This season, the former HMS driver was running Semi-full time in the IndyCar series. He produced excellent runs in the premier open-wheel series before announcing his retirement from full-time racing. Gallagher proposed the owner-driver deal while Johnson searched for new race opportunities. He wasted no time in signing the agreement.
Johnson has plans to run eight races in a third Petty GMS Chevy this season. He already confirmed his 2023 Daytona 500 entry. The rest of the races are yet to be fixed. In a recent interview, Joey Cohen, Petty GMS Cup Series competition director, revealed that, along with the Johnson, the team would field multiple drivers in the open car next season.
“We have partners that have asked us about drivers that they could go in in our organization that they would be interested in supporting. So, I think it’s gonna be a really interesting year. We looked at the 500, and I’m sure we’re just the very beginning of multiple amounts of teams considering running an open car. I would say that that car will have an opportunity to run more races with other drivers next year as well,” Joey Cohen said.
Why did Jimmie Johnson join Petty GMS Racing?
The Petty GMS offer was the perfect next step for Johnson after the IndyCar retirement. He said, “It’s great to be back in NASCAR. 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,”.
Entering the ownership and competition management side makes perfect sense for the veteran. He said, “Team ownership makes so much sense at this stage of my career, and after spending time with Maury and his family… I realized this was something I wanted to be involved with from the business perspective and on the competition side,”.
The 83 times cup race winner hopes to be part of a tangible change within the PGR team. He said, “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 that and much more,”.
Jimmie Johnson will impart his vast wisdom and knowledge to the PGR drivers Erik Jones and Noah Gregson next season. He said, “My experience and energy will add value to a team with young drivers like Erik and Noah – I feel like I can be a good resource both on and off the track,”.
Also read: “Can’t let this opportunity pass,” Former NASCAR driver set to ‘race’ for senate
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Justin P Joy
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