Jimmie Johnson’s dad, Gary, to serve as grand marshal at Texas

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson will hear a very familiar voice give the command to start engines when his father Gary Johnson serves as grand marshal for the Oct. 25 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 will be the final race at Texas Motor Speedway in Johnson’s record-setting fulltime career in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “Seven-Time” is the all-time series leader in victories at No Limits, Texas with seven. He has five victories in the fall race, with his first in 2007 and four straight from 2012-2015, as well as victories in the 2015 and 2017 spring races.

“I’m excited for my dad to be the grand marshal at Texas to give the command to start the engines,” Jimmie Johnson said of his father. “We have family in Texas so I feel like there’s going to be some extra sentimental value for my dad, knowing his sister lived there and was from that area. He’s been such a supporter of me in my career and I know how special and meaningful it will be for him to be there in my final start at Texas Motor Speedway.”

The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 doubleheader Sunday begins at 11 a.m. CT with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 (FS1, PRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch). It gives way to the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 (2:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN and KFWR 95.5 The Ranch).

The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (3:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN, KFWR 95.5 The Ranch), the fifth of seven playoff races, will be run as a non-spectator event.

Tickets for the Oct. 25 NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 doubleheader are available starting at $48 at http://bit.ly/Fall20EventPage. Tickets for kids 12 and under are just $10. Further details can be found on the Texas Motor Speedway website.

— Texas Motor Speedway —