NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson adding two more races to his schedule

Jimmie Johnson has doubled his schedule for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, adding races at Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It was revealed earlier this week that Jimmie Johnson would likely be returning to the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet for the road course race at Circuit of the Americas, a track where he has never competed in a NASCAR Cup Series race, later this month.

While confirmation hadn’t been made, Johnson and the No. 84 Chevrolet were listed on the NASCAR roster portal for this event.

Johnson, who spent the last two years competing in IndyCar after wrapping up a 19-year full-time Cup Series career with Hendrick Motorsports in 2020, made his NASCAR return in February’s season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Johnson, who is also a co-owner of the recently rebranded team, had only confirmed one other race as a part of his 2023 schedule, that being the inaugural race at the Chicago Street Course in early July.

Now Jimmie Johnson has added two more races to his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.

The 47-year-old El Cajon, California native has formally confirmed that he plans to compete at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, March 26, and he has also confirmed that he plans to compete in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, bringing his race total to four for this season.

Johnson, a four-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, has said that he has a list of between 12 and 14 events that he is aiming to narrow down to between five and 10. So ironically as he continues to narrow down that list, his confirmed schedule is likely to continue to grow.

Johnson’s entry into the Coca-Cola 600 could set up him to run the Memorial Day Double, first by competing in IndyCar’s Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a second time and then flying to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. Just four drivers have ever pulled that off, the most recent being Kurt Busch in 2014. However, as things stand right now, he is unlikely to run the Indy 500.

With the Indy 500 not likely to be added to his schedule, he could be set up to compete in the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway the week before the Coca-Cola 600, as he won’t have to be at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Indy 500 qualifying that weekend.

He hasn’t confirmed his plans for that weekend, but it is no secret that the All-Star Race is one of the highest races on his wish list for 2023.