NASCAR goes global as Jimmie Johnson, John Hunter Nemechek headline landmark Super Taikyu race in Japan 

Legacy Motor Club's Jimmie Johnson and John Hunter Nemechek are set to make a special exhibition run at Japan's Fuji Speedway. The event will run alongside the Super Taikyu Series finale on November 15-16.

Johnson will reprise his Garage 56 role and pilot the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, while Nemechek continues with his No.42 LMC entry. Two-time WEC champion Kamui Kobayashi will also join the duo in the 23XI Racing No. 67 NASCAR Toyota Camry. Three other ARCA cars will also run at the demonstration.

Legacy Motor Club shared a series of images from the event and attached a caption that read:

"Racing somewhere different this week 📍Fuji Speedway"

Jimmie Johnson previously drove the Garage 56 entry in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. Johnson used a heavily modified Next Gen car fielded by Hendrick Motorsports. He drove alongside 2009 F1 World Champion Jenson Button and two-time Le Mans winner, Mike Rockenfeller.

The team ultimately finished 39th in a 62-car field, completing 285 laps at the 8.4-mile circuit. They consistently ran among the frontrunners of the GT class, but had to step aside for an hour to fix a drive line issue.

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Jimmie Johnson sheds light on his NASCAR future

Jimmie Johnson had his 700th Cup Series start in the 2025 Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He wrecked out of hte race and finished dead last. However, the seven-time Cup champion had finished third in the season-opening Daytona 500, proving that the 50-year-old still had pace to offer.

Nonetheless, Johnson isn't too thrilled about making a comeback. In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR radio, the Californinan broke down the pitfalls of running a limited Cup Series schedule.

“Running at a high cadence in the Cup Series is really, really difficult, and I had a lot of exposure to that last year running the nine events. The cars are so specific, and the way you drive them, the team support, pit stops, all these different elements are really tough to do on a limited schedule. But for the right races and the right reasons, that makes a lot of sense. I’d love to continue to expand and tick more of these bucket list opportunities off my list.”

When asked about chasing his 84th career win, Jimmie Johnson replied,

"Man the 84th win, I want to believe that opportunity is there one way shape or another. To be in the 84 var, chasing that 84th win, I'd really like to tick that box."

Johnson is currently focused on expanding Legacy Motor Club to a three car outfit. LMC reached a settlement with Rick Ware Racing to acquire their charter. RWR will continue with the charter until the two-year lease agreement with RFK Racing ends in 2027.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna