Fernando Alonso And NASCAR Star Jimmie Johnson Swapping Cars

BY Sergiu Tudose | Posted on

Former Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso and NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson will reportedly swap cars at the end of the month, following the F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

According to Autosport, this will be far more than just a simple PR stunt, the likes of which has occurred before. In 2011 for example, Lewis Hamilton and three-time NASCAR Cup winner Tony Stewart also swapped cars.

After the NASCAR season finale at Homestead, Johnson will leave for London to spend time at McLaren’s factory, where he’ll begin getting accustomed to the car via the team’s F1 simulator. Afterwards, he and his Hendrick team members will go to Abu Dhabi for the F1 race.

After working alongside the McLaren crew for a few days, the NASCAR team will leave for Bahrain, where they will set up one of Johnson’s #48 Chevrolets, as the car is already being transported via sea freight.

Both Alonso and Johnson are champions and racing veterans. The former is a two-time Formula 1 title winner, having claimed a total of 97 podiums, 22 pole positions and a total of 1,899 career points. As for Johnson, the 43-year old is a seven time champion in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, a 1998 Rookie of the Year and a Driver of the Year for 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2013. He has also secured a total of 83 wins with 35 poles.

For Alonso, this will not be his first taste of American motorsport. The Spaniard has previously raced in IndyCar at the 2017 Indianapolis 500, finishing 29th.

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