Jimmie Johnson Gets No. 48 Back for Final Cup Start
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 26, 2026
No. 48 return
Jimmie Johnson will end his NASCAR Cup Series career back in the No. 48, with Rick Hendrick loaning the number for Johnson’s final start in the 2027 Daytona 500. Hendrick announced the arrangement on TNT Sports’ “NASCAR Nation Pre-Race” show, and the move gives Johnson the stylized No. 48 for one last run in the event that will mark his 703rd Cup start and the 69th Daytona 500. The deal brings together Hendrick, Hendrick Motorsports, Legacy Motor Club and Ally Financial for a one-race farewell that puts the number back on Johnson’s car after years away from it.
NASCAR approved the arrangement without affecting owner or driver points standings, so the switch stays focused on the tribute. Alex Bowman is the current No. 48 driver for Hendrick Motorsports, and he will move to another number for the 2027 Daytona 500. Bowman has said 2027 will be his final season of full-time NASCAR competition. That leaves the number available for Johnson’s last start and gives Hendrick a clean way to close the book on a number that shaped one of the most decorated careers in stock car racing.
Johnson’s No. 48
The No. 48 defined Johnson’s full-time Cup career. He first drove it in 2001, then built nearly his entire run around it. Johnson has made 686 of his 702 career starts in the No. 48, and he used that car number for all 83 of his NASCAR Cup Series wins and all seven of his championships during his full-time career. The latest chapter came in the 2020 season finale at Phoenix, which was Johnson’s most recent appearance in the No. 48 before this planned return.
That history gives the final start a clear connection to the rest of Johnson’s career. The number is tied to the wins, the titles and the long stretch of races that made Johnson a fixture at the top level of the sport. It also ties his farewell to the same number that carried him through every major milestone of his Cup run. Johnson said the number represents the relationships and memories that shaped him. He also said it is “far more than a number.” The Daytona 500 farewell now gives him one more chance to close his career in the car that carried his name through most of his success.
