Billy Johnson To Drive RPM's No. 43 For Cup Race At Sonoma

Richard Petty Motorsports this morning announced that Ford-affiliated IMSA driver Billy Johnson will pilot the No. 43 Ford for this weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, taking over as a road-course ringer for one race in place of Bubba Wallace. While Johnson is a road-course specialist, he used to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and is Japanese-American, thus continuing a streak of the No. 43 and primary sponsor Smithfield Foods having diverse drivers. Aric Almirola, a Cuban-American, is the usual driver of the car but is out injured. Wallace, who is African-American, is running most of the races while Almirola is out.

Wallace will be back in the car for the following weekend’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona Int’l Speedway.