Primary sponsorship of Johnson's No. 48 Chevy is up for sale for the first time since '01Getty Images
NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, whose sponsor Lowe's is leaving the sport after this season, believes another brand has a "golden opportunity to close out with me," according to Jenna Fryer of the AP. Primary sponsorship of Johnson at the Monster Energy Cup Series level is for sale for the first time since '01 with Lowe's planned departure, and the seven-time champion "believes he is more than just a driver looking for a new paint scheme that can be auctioned off to the highest bidder." Johnson: "I've got a handful of years in Cup if we can find the right sponsor. ... I mean, I can't stop racing. I'm always going to be racing something. I'm going to step down from the NASCAR merry-go-round at some point, but I've got a bucket list" (AP, 4/20).
RUN RICKY RUN: FS1’s Jeff Hammond said NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. extending with SunnyD, Fastenal, and Fifth Third Bank through '21 has "got to have his confidence ... high." Stenhouse said of the renewals, “It is Christmas, for sure, for any race team or any driver in this sport. Those things are hard to come by" ("NASCAR RaceDay," FS1, 4/21).
ON THE AIRWAVES: In Richmond, Paul Woody noted driver Ryan Blaney co-hosts “The Glass Case of Emotion” podcast on NASCAR.com, where he "probably is the closest version of himself." The hour-long podcast, which also can be "seen on NASCAR’s YouTube channel, is irreverent, funny, sarcastic, insightful and covers a wide range of topics, most of them not racing-related and sometimes not intended for younger audiences." To build more interest in the sport, NASCAR should "give fans more" of Blaney, "on and off the track." Woody: "Let Blaney be Blaney, something NASCAR seems to be happy to do so far in his young career." The 24-year-old, third-generation driver has "plenty to offer." There "isn’t going to be another" Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt Jr., but there is a "first Ryan Blaney, and he has a chance to be a unique NASCAR personality" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 4/21).
