JiminFL

OK, it's public knowledge as of today, so I won't get anybody in trouble for talking about this.

Jimmie Johnson will drive the third CTS-V for the WC-GT race at Charlotte in May as part of the Coke 600 weekend.

Sources close to Cadillac racing report he was a very quick study in testing at Sebring and ran competitive times in short order after some street car laps with Andy Pilgrim and only a short stint in the race car. Should be good for World Challenge to get that kind of attention at Lowes with the reigning Nextel Cup champ in the race!

Here's the press release


Jim

B-ras

That should be fun to watch and good for WCGT. Kinda surprised NASCRAP would let one of (if not the) best driver do a non-GrandAm road race.

Rob Willis

Sweet!

I want to see Dale Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson have a go at the 24hrs of LeMans in a third C6R. I know, it'll never happen, but it would be interesting.

69427

Why??? It's not like talented sportscar drivers are in such limited supply that they can't find enough of them to fill the small quantity of seats in top rank sports cars. I just fail to see the attraction of the above scenario. I would pay money to see Steve Kinser drive a sprint car, or Michael Schumacher (pre-retirement) drive an F1 car, but certainly not the other way around. It all seems like a waste of car and money, unless you're just looking for amusement.

Tintin

Jimmy Johnson? I had to Google this guy to find out who he is.. good luck to him, you need to use the brakes on a road course...

davidfarmer

I still don't understand the logistics of this event. I think the WC race will be the weekend before the BIG race, but they park motorhomes on the Road Course and infield. If they are using the road course, their is no infield camping, and no $$$$$.

actually, just read the press release, maybe they aren't running the infield. I don't know what this means, but WC on an oval doesn't sound very interesting. The Toyo tires aren't designed for long term loading from the bowl (as BFG found out when we ran there in 00')

"will take place on the track's 1.5-mile banked oval with modifications to introduce road racing elements to the course"

B-ras

You may be surprised; he's no circle track lifer from the sticks. I think he could be a great road racer.

96CollectorSport

He did the International Race of Champions in Europe with Casey Mears 2 years ago when Jeff Gordon couldn't make it. They didn't do all that well but he still had the ***** to go against the best F1 and Rally drivers.

Cobra4B

Anyone remember when Jr. and Steward almost one the Rolex 24 until the car broke?

NASCAR guys can drive... many don't like to admit it.

Carl Johansson

Don't know about good old Jr. Last time he tried out a vette - he had a "minor overheating" problem if I recall. (like crashed it and burned to the ground - it wasn't onm a warmup lap was it?)

Lawdogg

Jeff Gordon also won the Race of Champions a few years ago in France against all of motorsports best. Saw the Busch roadcourse race last weekend from Mexico and while Montoya won, Nascar guys weren't too far behind. Nascar guys can drive!

B-ras

You're right, but **** happens. Gordon put his Daytona Prototype in the wall on the pit exit road at the Rolex this year.

You guys remember when Gordon and JPM swapped cars before the USGP a few years back?
http://www.usgpindy.com/news/story.php?story_id=1152
I remember watching that on Speed and thinking Gordon might go to F1 some day. Guess I had that one bass ackwards.

Slalom4me

Edit: wrong time, wrong place ...

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Tintin

If a 72 year old man can seriously consider racing at the top stock car level and almost can qualify it tells me what is needed as far as driving ability goes. Please don't bring up Paul Newman, he never could drive that well and only won because he was using factory prepared cars in amateur competition. I really didn't know who Jimmy Johnson was , I wasn't kidding. I met Jeff Gordon at SEMA about 7 years ago and I didn't know who he was either... I watch Motorsports when they are on tv especially auto racing so I have not seen Winston Cup since Bill Elliot went like 200 at Talledaga a few years ago...

Everett Ogilvie

Roger that! Just ask Juan Pablo how hard it is to drive a heavy pig (NAS)car. He now respects those guys. He did a great job at the Busch road race in Mexico, but he is still struggling on the ovals. While good on the road courses, he won't win either of the two Cup road courses this year (that will be Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart or Robby Gordon, and Boris will be good). There are definitely a few Cup drivers who know their way around a road course.

xsiveone

So, Jimmie is finally going to learn how to run road courses?

xsiveone

That's funny! Someone that actually watches less CRASHCAR than I do. I thought that it was impossible to be a race fan and not know who won the Nextel Cup last season even if you don't watch NASCAR.

Tintin

Actually the google thing didn't tell me he was the chumpion (sic) . I didn't know that until now. Winston Cup is sort of like a commercial for women's hygene products, if you are a man you flip as fast as you can to absolutely anything else . That's what I do when the professional wrestling of motorsport is on and so should you if you know anything about racing at all. Remember? They don't use the brakes, the single hardest thing to learn when you start racing. If you think that they can drive, look back a few years to Sears point qualifying and note that the TransAm cars qualified in lower times than the Nascar guys. Then realize that Nascar has about 300 more horsepower. Then realize that Nascar uses the cut off that shortens the track a lot and that TransAm didn't. TA cars had lower lap times and went about 3/4 of a mile farther and had 5 more turns. Nascar is a joke. Oh yes, and Montoya? Indy car champ, won a number of Formula One races and is really good. If he doesn't win every single race that he enters , you'll know its fixed. I have already discerned that on my own however..

B-ras

joemoia

Maybe one of the Viper teams can get Juan Pablo Montoya into one of their seats