After two negative COVID-19 tests in a 24-hour span, Jimmie Johnson will return to Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 Chevrolet.
Jimmie Johnson has medically cleared to return to NASCAR Cup Series racing and resume his final full season of action.
Johnson, 44, missed last weekend’s race at Indianapolis after testing positive for COVID-19 two days before Sunday’s 400-mile event. Having tested negative twice in a 24-hour span, Johnson was cleared by his physician in compliance with NASCAR’s health guidelines. According to a release from HMS, Johnson never experienced symptoms.
NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Justin Allgaier took over Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet during the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records. He was relegated to a 37th-place finish after getting involved in an early accident on pit road that tore up several cars.
“My family is so grateful for the incredible love and support we’ve received over the last several days,†Johnson said in the statement. “I especially want to thank Justin Allgaier for stepping in for me at Indy and being a true pro. I’m excited about getting back to business with my team this weekend.â€
The Hendrick statement also revealed four crew members were tested after Johnson’s diagnosis and all of them tested negative. HMS runs four Chevrolets on a weekly basis, including the respective Nos. 9, 24, and 88 of Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman. Johnson himself was tested after his wife Chandra tested positive after experiencing what was thought to be seasonal allergies.
The seven-time Cup Series champion Johnson announced last fall that 2020 will be his final year as a full-time driver. Despite NASCAR’s two-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his streak of 663 consecutive Cup Series starts ending, Johnson has no intention of delaying his retirement plans. He has driven the No. 48 full-time since 2002 and has won 83 Cup races (most among active drivers). The current standings place Johnson in 15th, 46 points ahead of the playoff cutoff with 10 races remaining in the regular season.
Johnson and the Cup Series descends upon Kentucky Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s Quaker State 400 (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags