NASCAR: 5 drivers who should compete in SRX in 2023
By Randy Smith
NASCAR drivers who should race in SRX in 2023: No. 2 – Jimmie Johnson
Jimmie Johnson may have retired from the NASCAR Cup Series after the 2020 season, but his racing days are far from over.
After leaving the Cup Series, Johnson signed with Chip Ganassi Racing to drive the #48 Honda in IndyCar. He originally only competed in road and street course races, but he now competes full-time, with his best finish being a fifth place finish at Iowa Speedway.
Despite being in IndyCar, Johnson hasn’t ruled out a return to NASCAR, with Trackhouse Racing Team serving as a rumored fit if he decides to return.
Additionally, Johnson ran the Race of Champions in Sweden with Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel, and he currently competes part-time in IMSA. With the El Cajon, California native being involved in a diverse field of motorsport series since retiring from full-time stock car competition, SRX could be next on his list.
With IndyCar having a lighter schedule than NASCAR, Johnson and SRX could easily find a date to bring the seven-time Cup Series champion back onto an oval outside IndyCar.
A NASCAR return may be more likely than a one-off in SRX, but the timing and the openings are there if Tony Stewart can convince partners and Johnson himself to head over to the “Saturday Night Lights” racing style that SRX has to offer.
With a return to oval racing this year and a desire to return to where he made his name, SRX shouldn’t be out of the question for Johnson. He won Stewart’s “Prelude to the Dream” event in 2010, so the connections to “Smoke” and dirt racing are there too.
Like it would with the addition of Dale Earnhardt Jr., SRX would greatly benefit from having a name such as Johnson on the roster in 2023, and the 46-year-old could find himself in a position like Ryan Newman and have an opportunity to grab a checkered flag after having been unable to do so for several years.