Jimmie Johnson won't return to his championship-winning #48 Cup Series car

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson made his Cup debut with Hendrick Motorsports in 2001 and retired with the same team at the end of the 2020 season.

Johnson is now set to return to the Cup Series as a part-time driver at the season-opening Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023, but it won’t be in his championship-winning #48 Chevrolet.

After Johnson retired from the full-time NASCAR competition at the end of the 2020 season, Alex Bowman, who had driven the #88 number car, switched to the #48 number, and has been driving it ever since. Hendrick Motorsports and Bowman will continue to run the #48 Chevrolet despite Johnson’s return to the Cup Series.

The former Hendrick Motorsports driver has driven only one number throughout his Cup Series career, driving the #48 Chevrolet in all 686 races from 2001 to 2020. He also continued to have the same number in the IndyCar Series in the previous two seasons with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Jimmie Johnson announced his comeback to the Cup Series in November 2022 after joining Petty GMS Motorsports as both a co-owner and part-time driver. He will compete alongside his full-time drivers Noah Gragson and Erik Jones.

Not much has been announced about his plans for the 2023 season, other than the fact that he will make his return to the Daytona 500 and will race at five Cup Series races in 2023.

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“Jimmie’s going to run five races for us, starting at Daytona” - Richard Petty on Jimmie Johnson

Petty GMS Motorsports chairman Richard Petty, during a recent podcast on Outside Groove, opened up on Jimmie Johnson’s 2023 plans. Petty said that the seven-time Cup Champion will compete in five races for the organization, starting with the iconic Daytona 500.

Richard Petty said:

“Jimmie’s going to run five races for us, starting at Daytona. That’s going to give us a third car from time to time. He’ll have to make the races which he shouldn’t have any trouble doing. We’re looking forward to really, a big year. With Jimmie coming on and Noah [Gragson], I think we’ve got a heck of a lineup of drivers.”

Catch Jimmie Johnson at Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway, which is scheduled to start on Sunday, February 19, 2023. The event will be broadcast on Fox at 2:30 pm ET.