Jimmie Johnson has added another racing win to his collection. This time, he did so in a classic Aston Martin DB4 GT.
The event in question was the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy, a race featuring closed-cockpit GT cars over 3 liters. The cars had to be from before 1963, and they had to be period-accurate.
Johnson joined forces with four-time IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti as they shared driving duties. They faced off against a packed lineup of drivers in AC Cobras, Shelby Cobra 620s, Jaguar E-type FHCs, and many other classics.
Johnson was the first behind the wheel. He started ninth and quickly raced his way to first. He began to pull away, but another car hitting the tire barrier brought out the caution and erased his advantage.
7-time NASCAR Champion @jimmiejohnson swapping out his Toyota Camry for an Aston Martin DB4 GT. From fourth to first in just two corners. What a race. #GoodwoodRevival pic.twitter.com/MazXy5fJVr
— Goodwood Revival (@goodwoodrevival) September 7, 2024
Franchitti took over the Aston for the second stint of the race. He built the lead back up and delivered the win. A 10-second penalty did little to disrupt the performance delivered by the two multi-time champions.
"What an honor," Johnson said during his post-race interview. "This has been an event that I don't want to miss. I've always dreamed of coming here and competing. My time in the States is quite busy, and I was finally able to come in '22. And it is such an incredible race."
While Johnson and Franchitti delivered a dominant win in West Sussex, they did not make it through the weekend without issues.
Johnson lost control of the Aston while making practice laps around the track. He looped the classic car around in the rainy conditions, slid through the grass, and hit the tire barrier.
#GoodwoodRevival/#NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson spinning his and Dario Franchitti's Aston Martin DB4 GT into the tire barrier in the wet earlier today
He had been fastest in practice for the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy leading up to this pic.twitter.com/FIEmQhRsbN
— Justin Nguyen (@ZappaOMatic) September 6, 2024
This damaged the rear of the car and forced the team to make repairs before Saturday's race. The incident also disrupted a practice session in which Johnson and Franchitti were the fastest by nearly three seconds.
"Big thanks and credit to this team," the seven-time NASCAR champion added. "I scratched the back of it yesterday in the rain, and they were able to fix the car and get it back on track."