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The 2007 Chevrolet Impala SS race car driven by NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson is up for auction with RM Sotheby’s. It will be offered at the company’s sale in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 26.
Johnson won seven NASCAR Cup Series championships during his full-time career with Hendrick Motorsports, tying Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most titles in a NASCAR mainline series. That includes a record five-season winning streak between 2006 and 2010.
This car, chassis number 48-461, is part of that history. Wearing the blue and silver Lowe’s scheme and the number 48 with which Johnson is most associated, it was driven to victory at Martinsville and Phoenix during the 2007 season. Johnson drove this car seven times from 2007 to 2009, according to auction listings.
Although labeled the Impala SS, the race car’s tube frame chassis and rear-wheel drive system were very different from the front-wheel drive Impala sedans of the time. This generation of Impala road cars at least featured a V-8 in SS guise, giving it a threadbare connection to the NASCAR Impala.
2007 Chevrolet Impala SS NASCAR Cup car driven by Jimmie Johnson (photo via RM Sotheby’s)
The car was built according to NASCAR’s new “Car of Tomorrow” rules, characterized by a prominent front spoiler, a deck-mounted rear wing and a more upright profile than previous generation Cup cars. The Car of Tomorrow was replaced by NASCAR’s sixth-generation chassis after the 2012 season, which was then replaced by the “Next Generation” car for the 2022 season.
Following retirement, the 48-461 chassis was restored by Hendrick Motorsports, according to auction listings. Presented in the guise of the 2007 Phoenix winner, the car is expected to sell for $150,000 to $200,000 at auction. That compares to the $165,000 asking price for a 2011 NASCAR Car of Tomorrow chassis driven by Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon, which appears for sale in late 2022.
2007 Chevrolet Impala SS NASCAR Cup car driven by Jimmie Johnson (photo via RM Sotheby’s)
Johnson retired from NASCAR in 2020 and spent the next two years concentrating on his IndyCar campaign with Chip Ganassi Racing. He did not find much success, and announced that he would be retiring from racing in September 2022, but quickly overturned that decision. In November 2022, he confirmed his return to NASCAR as a part-time driver and part owner of Petty GMS, alongside fellow seven-time champion Richard Petty.
He plans to run a limited schedule in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, starting with the Daytona 500, scheduled for February 19. Johnson will not be driving the number 48 car, as that number is now used by Alex Bowman at Johnson’s old Team, Hendrick Motorsports.
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