CONCORD, N.C. – Jimmie Johnson will honor fellow seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty during the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sept. 6.
Johnson’s No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will be decked out in a unique champions scheme that incorporates aspects of Petty’s No. 43 scheme and Earnhardt’s No. 3 scheme.
The font and top of Johnson’s Chevrolet will be the same font and colors as Petty’s No. 43, while the font and color scheme on the sides pays homage to the No. 3 from Earnhardt’s car.
Johnson, who is retiring from NASCAR Cup Series competition at the end of the season, will also have a special 777 badge that represents the three seven-time champions.
I’m proud to honor these two legends and what they’ve meant to me and the sport with this 7x scheme at Darlington. #RichardPetty #DaleEarnhardt pic.twitter.com/K8gJ2aoSoC
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) August 19, 2020
Johnson sought the approval and advice from Dale Earnhardt Jr. over the tribute scheme to his father. The younger Earnhardt loved the idea and praised it on Tuesday’s episode of “The Dale Jr. Download.”
“This is next level what you are doing this year,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t know why it’s not been done before, but I think it may make people really reconsider how they approach the throwback weekend. I may be overstating it because Dad is involved but it’s not been done quite like this. You are going to honor both Richard Petty and my father with your paint scheme.”