Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and current team owner Jimmie Johnson will be adding a new role to his resume: crew chief. Johnson confirmed to Above the Yellow Line Media on Sunday that he will be working atop the pit box for Dario Franchitti when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in St. Petersburg on February 28. Franchitti is driving the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota in his first NASCAR start since 2008.
“I’m super excited, Tricon has incredible equipment,” Johnson said. “They’ve put together a really nice opportunity for us to run Dario.” Johnson personally recruited Franchitti to run a Truck Series race, after the IndyCar Series legend spent over a dozen years away from professional racing. Dollar Tree agreed to come on board as a primary sponsor.
How Seven-Time Became a Crew Chief
“Dario and I’s friendship is 20 or 30 years deep,” Johnson continued. “I talked him into driving a truck, and he said, ‘If I’m driving I need you on the box’. So I’ll be on the box doing my best to not mess him up.” Franchitti and Johnson are in the small club of drivers with experience in both NASCAR and IndyCar. The former is a four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
Next week will mark Johnson’s first time ever serving as a NASCAR crew chief . He drove full-time in NASCAR from 2000 to 2020, and became a team owner when he purchased a stake in Petty GMS in November 2023. He currently heralds Legacy Motor Club, which fields two full-time NASCAR Cup Series cars with plans to expand to three in 2027. “Never [done anything like this before]. I’m checking off new opportunities, so it’s gonna be fun.”
Jimmie Johnson and Tricon Garage
Johnson’s own driving career is scheduled to conclude after he runs the 2027 Daytona 500 next February. He currently races part-time for Legacy Motor Club in select Cup Series starts. Johnson is also entering the inaugural Truck Series street race at Naval Base Coronado on June 19, driving the very No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota that he’s crew chiefing for next weekend.
The No. 1 Toyota has run in both of the first two weeks of the 2026 season. At Daytona International Speedway it was driven by Taylor Gray, followed by Corey Heim at EchoPark Speedway. Jerame Donley was crew chief in both races. The entry finished 28th and fifth in those races respectively.
The OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 runs on Saturday, February 28 at 12:00 p.m. FOX will carry the television coverage for the first ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.
