Jimmie Johnson will make the final start of his NASCAR Cup Series career carrying the number that defined it. Hendrick Motorsports has agreed to loan Johnson the stylised No. 48 for the 2027 Daytona 500, where the seven-time champion will race for the team he now owns, Legacy Motor Club.
Rick Hendrick and Johnson announced the arrangement on TNT Sports' pre-race coverage of the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, 26 July. NASCAR has approved the one-race loan and confirmed it will carry no bearing on driver or owner points standings in 2027.
"This is far more than a number," Johnson said. "The 48 represents people, relationships, memories and a chapter of my life that shaped who I am. To have the opportunity to make one final Cup Series start carrying that number is something I never imagined."
Johnson and the No. 48 Hendrick crew won a record-tying seven Cup championships together, five of them consecutively from 2006 through 2010, along with 83 points-paying victories. Two of those wins came in the Daytona 500. Four came in the Brickyard 400, which made Indianapolis a pointed place to break the news.
Hendrick, who signed off on lending out one of the most recognisable numbers in American motorsport, framed it as a straightforward call.
"The No. 48 is part of Hendrick Motorsports' history, and it's forever connected to Jimmie," Hendrick said. "When Jimmie asked about using the number for his final race, it just felt right. Ally immediately understood why it mattered, too."
"The 48 has always stood for something bigger than racing: a relationship built on trust, shared wins, and a fanbase that gives everything they have," said Andrea Brimmer, Ally's chief marketing and PR officer. "Jimmie is part of the Ally family, and the chance to see him at Daytona one last time with that number is something our fans deserve as much as he does."
The tribute required more cooperation than the headline suggests. Legacy Motor Club moved from Chevrolet to Toyota in 2024, so as Road & Track noted, the Daytona 500 will mark the first time No. 48 decals are applied to a Toyota - Chevrolet effectively waving through a send-off for a driver who delivered the manufacturer 83 wins across a 19-year career.
The other complication sits inside Hendrick's own garage. Alex Bowman has driven the No. 48 since Johnson vacated it, and announced his own early retirement from full-time Cup racing just days before the Johnson news broke, following several injuries and long recoveries. With Johnson borrowing the number, Bowman will contest his final Daytona 500 as a full-time driver under a different one. Hendrick Motorsports says the number for its Ally-sponsored entry in the 2027 race will be announced later.
Johnson, who has spent his post-driving years as a team owner, broadcaster and part-time competitor after a detour into IndyCar, has adopted the personal motto "Never Stop Starting". The 2027 Daytona 500 will be the last time he applies it in a Cup car - and the first time since Phoenix in 2020 that the stylised 48 goes on a grid with him behind the wheel.
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