NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson adds to his schedule for 2023
By Asher Fair
Jimmie Johnson has confirmed a second race as a part of his plans for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season with Legacy Motor Club.
After spending the last two seasons in IndyCar, formerly retired seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is returning to the Cup Series this year with a new team.
Johnson has only ever driven the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series, doing so for 20 seasons (19 as a full-time driver).
But he is set to drive the No. 84 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club, formerly Petty GMS Motorsports, throughout the 2023 season.
The 47-year-old El Cajon, California native, who joined the team not only as a part-time driver but as a co-owner, plans to attempt to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 19.
Because there are more than four non-chartered cars on the entry list and his No. 84 Chevrolet is one of them, the two-time Daytona 500 winner technically isn’t locked into the race.
He will need to qualify either via his speed in the single-car qualifying session on Wednesday, February 15 or his result in his Bluegreen Vacations Duel race on Thursday, February 16.
Aside from the Daytona 500, there were no races confirmed on Jimmie Johnson’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule for quite some time.
Johnson has long been attempting to narrow down the list of races in which he wants to compete throughout the year. But now he has formally announced a second.
He plans to compete in the inaugural race at the new Chicago Street Course on Sunday, July 2. With this race being the 18th of 36 points races on the 2023 schedule, Johnson will likely make some starts between the Daytona 500 and this race.
He has said that he currently has 12 or 14 races on a list that he would like to narrow down to between five and 10. Further announcements will surely be made in due time.
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Where else will Johnson compete in 2023? Will he make another IndyCar start in the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as a part of what would be just the fifth ever Memorial Day Double attempt? Will he instead opt for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway?