Jimmie Johnson to Run IROC in 2003

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 8, 2003) - Jimmie Johnson, driver of the NASCAR Winston Cup No. 48 Lowe's Home Improvement Chevrolet, accepted an invitation to participate in the 2003 International Race of Champions (IROC).  

"Competing in IROC is going to be a lot of fun," said Jimmie Johnson, while taking part in NASCAR Winston Cup's "Preseason Thunder" at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.  "Growing up I would watch classic IROC races with Earnhardt, Mears, A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty and my teammates Terry (Labonte) and Jeff (Gordon).  To be able to race against some of the top drivers from various series is really appealing to me and should be a great challenge."

The IROC Racing Series has featured drivers from NASCAR's Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series, World of Outlaws, International Racing League (IRL) and Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART).  Johnson is hoping that he can continue the NASCAR Winston Cup series' dominance as of late.

"The past few seasons the Winston Cup drivers have had a lot of success claiming the last three or four championships in IROC," explained Johnson.  "I'm sure that a few of these guys will have a couple of tricks up their sleeves for the new guy on the block, but I'm confident that we will run well and have a lot of fun while doing it." 

The four races that make up the 2003 IROC Racing Series will take place at Daytona International Speedway in February, Talladega Superspeedway in April, Chicagoland Speedway in July and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August.  

For more information about Jimmie Johnson and Team Lowe's Racing, please visit www.lowesracing.com or www.jimmiejohnson.com.