Jimmie Johnson Is A NASCAR Truck Driver Now
Jimmie Johnson will be pulling double duty in San Diego this year … at least.
The Legacy Motor Club co-owner and Southern California native was already set to race in the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race at Naval Base Coronado on June 21, but now he’s added the the temporary 3.4-mile street circuit’s Truck Series race to his schedule.
Johnson has signed to drive the Tricon Garage No. 1 Toyota Tundra in the Friday, June 19th race that will kick off the weekend on Naval Air Station North Island.
It will mark just the second truck race in Johnson’s illustrious career, the first being an inauspicious 34th place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2008.
NASCAR doesn’t usually allow drivers to race in more than one series when it goes to a new venue, because the extra time on track could give them an unfair advantage in their primary race, but it has waived the rule for San Diego in an effort to pump up the promotion.
Johnson could potentially make it a triple play with an entry in the O’Reilly Auto Series race on Saturday, June 20, but he hasn’t yet said if anything is in the works.
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The event takes place on Father’s Day weekend and is also being billed as NASCAR’s salute to the 250th anniversary of the United States. It will be the first time NASCAR has ever raced on an active U.S. military base.
Johnson is also set to race in the Daytona 500 in the Legacy Motor Club No. 84 car. His entry has been secured through the Open Exemption Provisional, which allows for a 41st car with a notable driver that doesn’t have to qualify to make the starting lineup, but also doesn’t get any prize money or car points for their result.