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LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 24: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
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LOUDON, NH – SEPTEMBER 24: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series ISM Connect 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
Jimmie Johnson is flying high at 46. The seven-time NASCAR Cup champion is currently in his first full-time season in the NTT IndyCar series and recently finished an impressive sixth place in Texas.
The former Hendrick driver also took part in the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona in January. All of this solidifies his seemingly never-ending hunger for racing and racing at the top level.
And all of this could be the key to Rick Hendrick picking his greatest driver for the Le Mans project in 2023.
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A project for which the three candidates who have reportedly been shortlisted apart from Jimmie Johnson are Jeff Gordon, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson. This is a superstar lineup indeed, but the biggest issue is that only three seats are available.
Which of these four will sit out? Time will tell.
Anyway, Johnson made his thoughts on his participation clear. “I definitely am interested,” Johnson said.
Although he revealed that they haven’t had any “serious talks,” he’s still aware of the “interest” that is there for him to be in the car.
“I know Mr. Hendrick would love for me to be in the car, and Chad’s been at the track. So there’s all this synergy that’s existing there, and honestly, that synergy is what kind of led to this opportunity.”
This project still awaits formal ACO approval, but my reporting indicates four clear candidates for the three driver slots in the Camaro at the 2023 @24hoursoflemans:@JeffGordonWeb @JimmieJohnson @chaseelliott @KyleLarsonRacin
Final lineup likely depends on skeds/training.
— Nate Ryan (@nateryan) March 23, 2022
Jimmie Johnson explains the key factor that could decide his participation in Le Mans
Jimmie Johnson revealed that he has been pursuing “pathways” to be racing in Le Mans in one of the two divisions, but the Hendrick opportunity could be the one.
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But as things stand from his end, he explained that his availability during that time is the only thing that stands between him and racing in Le Mans.
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KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – JULY 23: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, sit in his car prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Super Start Batteries 400 Presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“I just need to make sure I’m available, and I want to go there and race. I’ve been working in the direction of racing in LMDh (IMSA’s new top prototype next year) and LMP2,” Johnson said. “I still don’t know what my IndyCar schedule is (for 2023), and if IndyCar has the weekend off.”
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“So there’s still a lot to be sorted out.”
