The 2027 Daytona 500 marks the final time that Jimmie Johnson will ever compete in the NASCAR Cup Series, and it will serve as an opportunity to showcase a familiar number.
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The seven-time champion will drive the No. 48 during his final start. Yet, this will not be a Hendrick Motorsports entry. The No. 48 will actually be a Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry XSE.
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick joined the NASCAR Nation pre-race show at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to help announce the news and provide some explanation for how this deal came to be.
One more race. One more incredible moment.
Hendrick Motorsports is loaning me the No. 48 for my final Cup Series start in the 2027 DAYTONA 500. I’m beyond grateful to Rick, @Alex_Bowman, @TeamHendrick and @AllyRacing for making this possible.
I never imagined this could… pic.twitter.com/N1hg9yaKQf— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) July 26, 2026
"He called me up a few months back and said, 'Hey, Daytona's gonna be my last race, and I sure would like to use the No. 48," Hendrick explained. "And so I talked to Ally, I talked to NASCAR, and we got it pulled off.
"So, Jimmie's gonna run his last race with the 48 on his car."
This number was synonymous with Johnson's name for nearly two decades. It is the number that he used to make his debut in the Cup Series back on Oct. 7, 2001, and it's the number that he used through the end of the 2020 season.
Johnson won 83 races with the No. 48 on his Chevrolet, and he captured seven Cup Series championships. He led 18,941 laps while driving this entry.
The Hall of Famer has since made 16 Cup Series starts while using a different number. He has driving the No. 84 for Legacy Motor Club, the team he co-owns, but he will go back in time for the 2027 Daytona 500.
This actually marks a change for Johnson. He previously said during an episode of the Stacking Pennies podcast that he would use the No. 13 for his final start in NASCAR.
"We have the 13 reserved," Johnson said. "My partner at Knighthood Capital, his number is 13. My first win at California (Speedway) that we were just talking about, I go into the media center...first question from the media was 'How does it feel to win your 13th start?'
"I'm like, 'Son of a b—. It was a good luck thing the entire time.' So, 13's the number."
Hendrick Motorsports did not provide further details about the number that Alex Bowman will use during the 2027 Daytona 500. He took over the No. 48 in 2021 after Johnson retired from full-time racing, and he has controlled the entry ever since.
The 2027 Daytona 500 also marks the start of Bowman's final season in NASCAR. He will retire after the 2027 season to move on to the next chapter of his life.
