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IndyCar: McLaren’s under-the-radar Jimmie Johnson move

By Asher Fair

AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 11: NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson attends NTT IndyCar Series testing at Circuit of The Americas on February 11, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 11: NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson attends NTT IndyCar Series testing at Circuit of The Americas on February 11, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Without garnering much publicity, Arrow McLaren SP have acquired the number 48 from Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, hinting that seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson could end up doing more than just a test.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson confirmed a few days ago that he is set to get behind the wheel of an IndyCar for the first time with Arrow McLaren SP at Barber Motorsports Park next month.

Johnson is set to drive one of the team’s Chevrolet-powered race cars at the 17-turn, 2.38-mile (3.83-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Birmingham, Alabama amid speculation that he could make his official IndyCar debut in a road or street course race in 2021.

Just days after the 2019 Cup Series season ended, the 44-year-old El Cajon, California native confirmed that the 2020 season would be the 19th and final season of his full-time career in the sport.

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But he said at the time and has since maintained that all this means is that he will no longer be committed to driving the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, which he has driven in all 654 of his Cup Series starts, 38 weekends per year.

He did not rule out making a return to the Cup Series as a part-time driver, nor did he rule out competing in other series. Johnson has long said that he had interest in competing in America’s premier open-wheel racing series, and he has maintained that interest over time as well.

As a Chevrolet team, Arrow McLaren SP have long been considered one of Johnson’s top potential landing spots if he does end up competing in IndyCar. Additionally, he is close friends with McLaren CEO Zak Brown and attended IndyCar Spring Training at Circuit of the Americas as a McLaren guest last month.

He even drove a McLaren Formula 1 car in November of 2018 when he did a ride swap with two-time champion Fernando Alonso at Bahrain International Circuit.

Now Arrow McLaren SP have made a relatively unpublicized move that further hints that Johnson’s official IndyCar race debut could very well be on the horizon for 2021.

They have acquired the number 48 from Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, according to Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern. The team used the number 48 for J.R. Hildebrand’s Indianapolis 500 effort last year.

As Stern stated, the only thing that has been officially confirmed is the fact Johnson is set to run the #48 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP at Barber Motorsports Park in a test. But would they really acquire a number from another team with no intention of anything beyond a test?

It is particularly ironic that in 2018, Hildebrand used the number 66 for his entry with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. McLaren, however, used that number for Alonso’s Indy 500 attempt last year, and now Arrow McLaren SP are set to use it for his Indy 500 attempt this year.

I will reiterate that nothing is confirmed. But even in their short time back in IndyCar, McLaren have shown that they don’t acquire numbers from other teams just to run tests.

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Could Arrow McLaren SP’s acquisition of the number 48 from Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for Jimmie Johnson’s maiden IndyCar test mean that his official American open-wheel racing debut is on the horizon for 2021 once he has officially retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition? There is still plenty of time before then, but don’t be surprised.