When [Jimmie] Johnson rolls out of the garage to begin practice at Daytona International Speedway, what number will be on his Chevrolet?
Petty GMS President Mike Beam has an idea.
“Once we made the announcement with Jimmie, people started connecting the dots,” Beam said. “Seven times seven is 49.”
“We have two seven-time champions and if you multiply seven times seven, you get 49. That would be a perfect number for our team with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.”
Although that has not become official, it’s a number that makes sense for Johnson’s new path in his career as a Cup Series owner/driver on a team that includes Petty.
— Forbes —
Car number 49 was last used for three races in the Cup series in 2020. Chad Finchum drove a Toyota owned by Carl Long.