Let’s go back in time to 2001. Jimmie Johnson isn’t the 7-time Champion we know today. Instead, he’s a rookie getting behind the wheel for the first time in a #48 Hendrick Motorsports car. And what a showing it would be. He bangs in a rapid lap that puts him in 6th place, but he didn’t get the fairytale ending he wanted.
Talking about it, Johnson once said, “This was such a big night for me. My first attempt at a Cup race in 2001. I was such an unknown Allen Bestwick though I was from WI [Wisconsin].”
The California native has been around the NASCAR Cup scene since 2001, but only made his full-time debut in 2002. Since then, he has gone on to become a force of nature at the top level of NASCAR racing. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and the era of Jimmie Johnson soon came to a close. In the latter stages of his career, the Hendrick Motorsports legend has looked a pale shadow of his former self. He soon announced a hiatus from the Cup Series in 2020 and raced in IndyCar for a couple of years. In 2023, though, he was back in the Cup Series, but with Richard Petty Motorsports, now called Legacy Motor Club.
Sadly, he was not the same dominant force that he used to be in the Cup Series. In the last couple of years, Johnson made one-off appearances for the team, which he co-owns. Admittedly, he struggled a lot, not even breaking into the Top 25 in all of 2023 and 2024. This season, though, he achieved his best ever finish in his one and only appearance at the Daytona 500, with 3rd place. Since then, he has not put a wheel on tarmac, but all that will change in the next couple of weeks.
The next race on his agenda is the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. But did he choose Charlotte for a reason? It seems so, because his NASCAR journey has come full circle. Having debuted at the track, it only makes sense that Johnson completes his 700th start in the Cup Series at the track. And to commemorate his achievement, he has something special in store.
The #84 driver revealed a special paint scheme for the fans. On X, the driver uploaded a video where he said, “I’m so excited to give you the first look at my Carvana racing scheme for the Coca-Cola 600. Come check it out. We race on the Memorial Day weekend. A lot of the cars on track that embody that and Carvana has chosen to do the same here. You can look at the side of the car, and it has the stripes of the flag, shadowed in. We also have some stars that are shadowed into the scheme as well on the race car. And during my full-time Cup days on the top of the car, on top of the roof, I always had a neon number 48.”
The wait is OVER.
We can’t wait to see this thing under the lights in Charlotte.
Shoutout to .@KevinFrazier for riding shotgun on this one, literally. #Carvana #CocaCola600 #NASCAR #PaintSchemeReveal pic.twitter.com/Ghx3JMbj6m
— Carvana Racing (@CarvanaRacing) May 14, 2025
The #84 Toyota Camry will be sponsored by Carvana and will largely be blue in color with the number highlighted in neon yellow edges. Make no mistake, the blue car isn’t just a random pick. It takes us back to his iconic moments on the track, like his fifth straight title. But the moment this car reminds us most of is his 2016 Championship-winning #48 Chevy Impala that got him his seventh title. Additionally, there is a touch of patriotism on the paint scheme because of the presence of the American stars and stripes.
Speaking about his upcoming Charlotte start, Johnson said, “I’m like, dang, my first was at Charlotte and now my 700th will be at Charlotte. And so, you know, it’s put a lot more weight on it. And I found that now, you know, my starts are far in few between. And the experience I had going into the Hall of Fame, I am now reflecting and savoring my career in these moments that I have to be back in the car and experience the stuff. So I’m really excited for Charlotte and very thankful that, you know, it’s a big milestone event.”
Let’s see what fans have to say about his announcement.
NASCAR fans liked the livery, but something was missing
Of course, many people were very enthusiastic about seeing the new livery on the Toyota Camry. However, some people felt that there were a few missed opportunities. One fan lamented on Reddit, “Sad it’s not a throwback to his first race, but this is still a nice scheme.” When Johnson debuted, his Impala was decked out with sponsors and a large Lowe’s logo on the hood. The car’s deep blue-purple look remains in the hearts of fans to this day. Others took a trip down memory lane and relived the classic Jimmie Johnson colors: “The blue car with dayglow numbers brings a tear to my eyes.”
Others praise Legacy Motor Club for consistently coming out with the best paint schemes: “In my opinion, LMC leads the league in great designs.” This fan won’t be wrong. LMC has consistently impressed fans with the paint schemes on Erik Jones’ #43 car, in blue, red, green, and black. The most memorable moment this season came when they paid a tribute to the King, with Jimmie Johnson revealing it on X in a post captioned, “Taking the Petty Blue back to the Lady in Black. ”
A few fans also noted the uncanny valley and observed that the color scheme looked very familiar. One person said, “Seems like a callback to his Indy 500 car. Looks really good!” When Johnson moved to the open-wheel series, he sported the blue paint scheme with a hint of yellow and the #48 on the rear wing. It seems he’s uniting two of America’s racing series.
Of course, there is no pleasing everyone, as the paint job did have some critics. One NASCAR fan opined, “They’re calling it a JimJam tribute scheme, yet besides the yellow numbers, nothing about this car says Jimmie Johnson.” All that being said, the 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will likely be eager to get back onto the race track.
The post “Brings a Tear to My Eye” – Fans Weep as Jimmie Johnson’s Life Comes Full Circle, Moved by His Coke 600 Scheme appeared first on EssentiallySports.
