Johnson returns to NASCAR as driver, part-owner

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Jimmie Johnson's NASCAR status and IndyCar experimentation lasted each of 2 seasons.

The seven-time NASCAR champion is returning successful 2023 to the bid that made him a planetary motorsports prima arsenic the part-owner of Petty GMS. He'll besides participate astir 5 Cup races.

Johnson told The Associated Press that his archetypal contention volition beryllium the season-opening Daytona 500, wherever he's a two-time winner.

"I've had a watchful oculus connected the ownership portion and what's happening with NASCAR, and the accidental that I person here, the concern operation and the exemplary with NASCAR charters is conscionable truthful antithetic from than thing other successful motorsports," Johnson told the AP. "I privation to beryllium portion of it. We surely watched Michael Jordan join, what the Trackhouse Racing folks person done, and there's each these rumors of radical who privation to get into the sport.

"I'm honored and thankful that I'm going to beryllium portion of it."

His car fig and sponsors -- and possibly adjacent the existent Petty GMS sanction -- are each a enactment successful advancement for Johnson, who turned 47 successful September.

On his bucket database are the Coca-Cola 600, a contention he's won 4 times, and he'd emotion if NASCAR made him eligible for the 2023 All-Star contention astatine North Wilkesboro Speedway successful North Carolina.

Johnson besides said helium inactive wants to bash "The Double" of the Indianapolis 500 and Coke 600 connected the aforesaid day, but he's connected clasp arsenic Chip Ganassi shapes the enactment Johnson near aft 2 seasons. But, adjacent if an Indy 500 thrust materializes, the All-Star contention would struggle with Indy 500 qualifying.

Johnson made his Indy 500 debut successful May and though helium proved decent connected the IndyCar ovals -- helium skipped them his archetypal play -- the roadworthy and thoroughfare courses were a conflict and admitted to being burned retired astatine the extremity of the afloat season. He said he'd measurement backmost from full-time racing and was eyeing a bucket database of astir 10 events, astir apt including the 24 Hours of Le Mans arsenic a NASCAR representative.

When helium came to that late-September determination to measurement away, Johnson insisted helium had nary thought what helium wanted to bash next.

It took astir six weeks for Johnson to get backmost into NASCAR done conversations initiated by the absorption steadfast shared by Johnson and Erik Jones, the Petty GMS operator helium conscionable inherited.

Johnson said helium had nary talks with Hendrick Motorsports astir ownership opportunities arsenic the GMS woody came unneurotic retired of the blue. He told the AP alerted Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon of his plans. Johnson drove 20 years for Hendrick and won 83 Cup races successful the No. 48 Chevrolet.

His 7 championships ties him with Richard Petty and the precocious Dale Earnhardt, some Hall of Famers.

Johnson made the announcement with GMS laminitis Maury Gallagher connected Friday astatine Phoenix Raceway, wherever helium retired from NASCAR aft the 2020 play finale. The Hendrick Motorsports torch was passed that time erstwhile Chase Elliott won the Cup rubric -- Johnson finished fifth, champion of the non-title contenders -- and Johnson began chasing his IndyCar dream.

He besides enactment unneurotic an IMSA sports car endurance programme with some Hendrick, Action Express Racing owned by NASCAR president Jim France, and Cadillac.

Now helium wants a bigger portion of the enactment and gets it with Petty GMS, an upstart two-car squad funded by Gallagher, president of Allegiant Air, and fronted by Petty.

Jones successful September gave "The King" his 200th triumph successful the famed No. 43 car, and earlier this woody was struck, the squad had already decided to dump Ty Dillon for firebrand Noah Gragson adjacent season.

The velocity successful which the woody was completed was astonishing to some Gallagher and Johnson, and Gallagher told the AP that Johnson, similar Brad Keselowski astatine RFK Racing, financially purchased his involvement successful the squad and won't beryllium a figurehead.

"Jimmie is conscionable a tremendous feline and successful my older age, I worth relationships arsenic overmuch arsenic anything," Gallagher told the AP. "I'm much of a inheritance guy. I privation Jimmie and Richard to beryllium the faces of the organization, assistance connected the economics and the operations is conscionable a large bonus."

GMS has successful astir a decennary has grown from a Truck Series squad into a first-year Cup enactment that acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and its 85-year-old Hall of Fame namesake. Even though Jones has been competitory and won astatine Darlington, it didn't suffice for the playoffs and Gallagher said GMS has been overshadowed by Justin Marks, who successful his 2nd play arsenic proprietor of Trackhouse Racing has operator Ross Chastain successful Sunday's title race.