Jimmie Johnson Entering Extreme E Racing Series With Legacy Motor Club
Jimmie Johnson is going electric.
The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is launching a team in the Extreme E off-road racing series.
The series features a purpose-built electric off spec buggy called the Odyssey 21 that features a 530 hp all-wheel-drivetrain.
The races feature teams of two drivers, one male and one female, who each do a lap off the off-road course.
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Officially called Legacy Motor Club In Association With Jimmie Johnson, the team will make its debut this weekend in Saudi Arabia with seasoned rally driver Travis Pastrana and Gray Leadbetter in the vehicle.
Johnson is planing to race in future events, but will be driving in NASCAR Cup Series at Daytona this week.
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“I have quite a bit of experience in electric vehicles, although I’ve never been in an Extreme E ODYSSEY 21 before. I compete in a lot of off-road events and some desert stuff – mostly on two wheels – but this should be really fun for us,” Pastrana said in a press release.
“I believe in Jimmie Johnson and in LEGACY M.C. and all he is doing with the Club, so when he asked me it was a no-brainer.”
Leadbetter, 19, has already won a US Pro Class Championship in the Championship Off-Road closed-course series.
Johnson got his start racing motorcycles and off-road trucks in California before shifting his focus to stock cars.
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Extreme E holds two races on each of its weekends and has a five-event schedule this year. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia will be followed by a yet to be announced location in Europe in July, two weekends in Sardinia, Italy, in September and a finale in the Phoenix area in November.
2024 is a transition year as the series will be switching from battery electric to hydrogen fuel cell powertrains in 2025.
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