Following Kyle Larson, another NASCAR luminary, Jimmie Johnson, appears to enter the Indy 500 this season. However, unlike Larson, who will attempt the onerous double duty of driving in the race on the same day as the Coca-Cola 600 in NASCAR, Johnson is ready to step in as a co-owner. He will be teaming up with former professional football quarterback Tom Brady.
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According to Tony Donohue’s report on The Tony D Podcast, the two seven-time champions of their fields are uniting as co-owners with Chip Ganassi, whom Johnson drove for during his two seasons in IndyCar. They will field the fourth entry in the upcoming 19th Indianapolis 500 this May.
Donohue announced, “Tom Brady and Jimmie Johnson are joining forces to be co-owners alongside Chip Ganassi of the fourth entry for the 19th Indianapolis 500 coming up in May, and the driver would be … Sebastien Bourdais.”
Sebastien Bourdais is a motorist with four Champ Car titles, a Daytona 24 Hours victory, a class win at Le Mans, two 12 Hours of Sebring wins, and has 27 Formula 1 starts under his belt. Despite his impressive resume, an Indy 500 victory has eluded Bourdais in his 12 years of IndyCar career. His closest approach was a 7th-place finish in 2014 while driving for KV Racing Technology.
Lately, however, Bourdais has shifted his focus toward endurance racing, honing his skills in prolonged and demanding competitions. He last raced in the IndyCar Series in 2021 for A.J. Enterprises. His latest finish at the Indy 500 was P26, after qualifying at P27.
IndyCar is ramping up its marketing efforts
The involvement of two seven-time champions is already a significant draw, and the recent appearance of the NFL star, Brady in an IndyCar advertisement has amplified interest further. One of the most important developments this season is IndyCar’s new broadcasting partnership with FOX Sports, which has acquired the rights for the upcoming season.
In line with this, FOX Sports has launched a marketing campaign during their NFL Playoff coverage, prominently featuring Tom Brady, the newest addition to their NFL broadcast team.
The campaign gained additional momentum on Sunday with the release of the first teaser featuring Josef Newgarden, the winner of the last two Indianapolis 500s, and also included a cameo by Brady. The teaser was released just hours before Brady’s debut as an NFL Playoff game commentator for FOX Sports.
With Trackhouse Racing and Justin Marks also planning to venture into IndyCar Racing, it’s clear that NASCAR drivers and teams are increasingly captivated by the allure of single-seater racing.
