Third-generation racer Jett Johnson will drive the NAPA Auto Parts NASCAR at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival!

This weekend marks the return of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival. The action at the festival is fast, furious and frequently changing, with a different category of vehicles on track every 10 to 15 minutes, including classic Formula 1 cars, Heritage V8 Supercars, Heritage Touring Cars, a Special Invitational Category, demonstration sessions and more.

The 2016-model Chevrolet bodied NASCAR, built for oval racing and run by Hendricks Motorsport, was brought to Australia three years ago for promotional purposes and has been seen at a number of Supercars events and NAPA stores in recent times. This weekend in Adelaide, the car will hit the track in anger with Johnson behind the wheel. Jett, 18, should settle into the American stock car quickly, having come off the three seasons of competition in Australian Trans Am-style racing.

“Driving the NAPA NASCAR in Adelaide is going to be really cool,” said Johnson.

“It shouldn’t be much different to the Trans Am, the biggest difference will be the power, but I just raced in a Falcon V8 in New Zealand, so that was a good lead up and I’m really excited for it.”

“Grandad raced a NASCAR back in his day, so I’m not the first to drive a stock car – I just don’t want to replicate what he did at Sonoma and put it up on the tyre wall!”

“It will be a cool weekend. I’ve never driven the Adelaide circuit before, and it’s a different layout to what Supercars run, but it is still going to be a great experience.”

He won’t be the first Johnson to drive a NASCAR, though. Johnson’s grandfather Dick contested seven NASCAR Cup Series when long-time sponsor Palmer Tube Mills was aiming to launch Redkote product in the USA. Qualifying a best of 11th on debut at Sears Point (now known as Sonoma), finishing a best of 22nd at Pocono both during the 1989 season.

In 2023, Johnson is competing in the Dunlop Super3 Series, driving a Nissan Altima for Kelly Racing with the support of NAPA Auto Parts. The sight of a NAPA stock car is something that one lucky NAPA Motorsport Academy member will get the chance to see firsthand soon too. NAPA has launched a competition that will see one member travel to Charlotte to watch NAPA star Chase Elliott compete in May this year.

Sign up to the NAPA Motorsport Academy for more details.

Australia >> https://join.napaparts.com.au/register

New Zealand >> https://join.napa.co.nz/register