On Sunday, the third round of the Cup Series concluded with William Byron winning the race. This makes him the third different winner in the 2021 NASCAR season. Needless to say, Byron’s former teammate Jimmie Johnson offered his congratulations to the 23-year-old.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver romped to victory ahead of a delighted Tyler Reddick, and Martin Truex Jr. Behind them were Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick, making it two Hendrick cars in the Top 5. Meanwhile, the championship leader finished in 11th, doing just enough to stay in the championship lead.
Johnson caught the race and was thoroughly impressed with his ex teammate. Suffice to say, the 45-year-old can rest easy, knowing that his former team is in good hands. Overall, it was a fairly mixed day in the office for the Hendrick quartet, as three of their cars ended up in the Top 10. Only Chase Elliott ended up outside, as he finished the race in 14th.
Jimmie Johnson is looking forward to his own racing season
While all this is going on, Jimmie Johnson is itching to go racing, himself. Unfortunately, he has to wait for a full month and another couple of weeks before he can hit the tarmac. This is largely because, the 2021 IndyCar season is kicking off on 18th April. The 7-time Cup Series champion is joining forces with the Chip Ganassi Racing team for 2021 and 2022.
As per his contract, the veteran driver will be limited to road course races. Meanwhile, Tony Kanaan will take over driving duties of the #48 car on oval tracks. Although he may seem like a fish out of water, Johnson will have a few experienced heads in his corner. Aside from the team itself, he has the likes of Alex Palou, Scott Dixon the reigning champion, and ex F1 driver Marcus Ericsson.
Johnson has already conducted several tests in order to get used to the car. Now, when April 18th arrives, it will be the acid test for the 45-year-old. Nevertheless, the team has full on faith in the driver and believe that he can take the fight to his teammates and rivals.
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