Is Jimmie Johnson crazy?
This could be the simple case of a guy with a new toy who hasn’t burned out on it yet. Or a guy who truly thinks he’ll improve in Year 2 on IndyCar’s road/street courses while also tackling the handful of oval tracks, where at least the visuals will seem more familiar.
Or a guy who dearly wants to run the Indy 500 but, per sponsor demands, had to take on the other four ovals as a package deal.
Who knows for sure? Here’s something we know: Jimmie’s legacy was cemented with those seven Cup Series championships, everything else is just gravy, and he’s surely earned the opportunity to do whatever he pleases with the rest of his capable years.
But let’s assume he won’t ever return to his dirt-bike racing roots.
DAYTONA TEST:NASCAR ‘Next Gen’ test at Daytona International Speedway next month open to the public
Is GMS partnership the answer for Richard Petty Motorsports?
On paper, Maury Gallagher’s race team has worked its way to the Cup Series in a proper and methodical manner, winning races and championships in the Truck Series and ARCA while also running full-time in Xfinity.
Purchasing majority interest in the Petty team — and rebranding as Petty GMS Motorsports — seems like a possible win-win for both entities. The introduction of the Next Gen car, however, might be the team’s biggest advantage if it hopes to perform beyond the expectations of the usual Cup newbie.
If the Next Gen works as advertised, by making things more workable for the off-Broadway teams, it could be a whole new world and, of course, any new world is better off if Richard Petty is still walking around and greeting the locals.