NASCAR: Where should Jimmie Johnson compete in 2021?
By Bryce Turner
Jimmie Johnson 2021 races: NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season
On NBC Sports’ pre-race show ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series finale at Phoenix Raceway, Jimmie Johnson poked at the idea of running for former teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
With Earnhardt conducting the interview, Johnson said he “certainly would love to come back if the right opportunity came along in Cup or even Xfinity; I know you have an Xfinity team.”
With Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett each returning to JR Motorsports for the full season, the possibility for Johnson would be behind the wheel of the #8 Chevrolet, which has run part-time with multiple drivers in recent seasons.
The team previously announced that Josh Berry will run the #8 Chevrolet in roughly 12 races early in the season, with Sam Mayer set to run the car for the second half of the year after he turns 18 years old. That would be starting in the 16th event of the 33-race season on Sunday, June 27 at Pocono Raceway.
With all of that in mind, it’s possible that Johnson could run two or three races early in the season, given Berry’s background as an oval racer. Earnhardt himself is slated to run a single event, which could play into things.
The two races that would make the most sense for Johnson are the two road course races before Mayer’s birthday, which are scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 22 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and on Saturday, June 5 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
COTA is known for its annual Formula 1 race, which could be of extra interest to Johnson with his new focus on open-wheel competition. Speaking of which, running at Mid-Ohio could help him get to know the track before competing there in IndyCar on Sunday, July 4.
JR Motorsports could also find it advantageous to have Mayer on hand for those races to get some road course tips from the veteran.
Should Johnson want to stay closer to home, the Saturday, May 8 event at Darlington Raceway could also serve as a one-off Xfinity Series appearance. He has three wins, nine top five finishes and an average finish of 13.3 in 24 Cup Series races at the track.