Jett Johnson to drive NAPA NASCAR at Townsville!
The third-generation racer Jett Johnson will drive a genuine NASCAR racing machine around the Reid Park Street Circuit as part of the NTI Townsville 500 next month for the sixth round of the Repco Supercars Championship and will be held on July 7-9!
The grandson of five-times Touring Car champion Dick Johnson will saddle up inside the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS, where fans will hear the Chev V8 burble as he completes demonstration laps. It will be the second time that Johnson will drive the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS after completing demonstration runs at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival back in March earlier this year.
NASCAR racing and the Johnson family have a connected history too. Dick Johnson competed in a number of NASCAR events in the United States in the 1980s, as well as events in Australia at the Calder Thunderdome.
The NAPA NASCAR that Jett will drive was built by leading NASCAR Cup squad Hendricks Motorsport for oval racing purposes. The Chevy was imported to Australia three years ago for promotional purposes and has appeared at a variety of events including at Repco Supercars Championship weekends. This will be the first time it has been on-track in anger.
“It’s going to be really cool to take the NAPA NASCAR to Townsville,” said Johnson.
“It’s a genuine NAPA NASCAR that raced in the States, and it’s all American – it’s loud, it looks good and it’s going to be very cool to race on track. I’m sure that all of the fans are going to love it.”
“I’ve driven this car on a few occasions and it is so much fun. It’s loud, it moves around and I’m super excited to do a couple of extra laps over and above what I’m doing in Super3.”
“This is a genuine NASCAR that was raced by NASCAR champion Chase Elliott. It’s great that we have it here in Australia, giving everyone a real taste of that raw American racing.”
For those inquisitive fans wanting a closer look, the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet SS will be on display at the Townsville event all weekend. Johnson’s NASCAR drive won’t be the only time he hits the track. The 18-year-old will also contest the third round of the Dunlop Super3 Series in his regular Nissan Altima. Jett currently sits third in the Super3 Series standings.
