HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Though Jimmie Johnson’s sixth championship isn’t a sure thing, and a potential seventh is still at least a year away, Richard Petty believes Johnson is poised to join the exclusive club in which only he and Dale Earnhardt currently are members, as seven-time champions.
And Petty doesn’t expect the domination of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team to end any time soon.
“Right now, it’s seven and seven — then it will be seven, seven, seven — and he’s liable to go to 10 [titles],” Petty said Friday after a “Fresh from Florida” sponsor announcement for Richard Petty Motorsports.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is partnering with RPM to run the No. 43 Ford driven by Aric Almirola under the aegis of the “Fresh from Florida” campaign, an initiative designed to build awareness and sales of fresh seafood, produce and other Florida products.
“Fresh from Florida” will sponsor Almirola at Darlington next year, as well as three NASCAR Nationwide Series races with a driver still to be chosen. Michael Annett, who drives the No. 43 RPM Ford in the NNS this year, is vacating the ride to drive for Tommy Baldwin Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next year.
Petty joked about carrying a sign that reads “Will work for food.”
“That’s what we’re doing on this deal,” he said.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- NASCAR to debut new short track package at Phoenix - February 28, 2023
- The Wrench Who Stole Racing - December 16, 2022
- Matt DiBenedetto’s excellent run comes to abrupt, violent end - February 17, 2019
