Just days after Jimmie Johnson admitted that bringing Lowe’s back for his final race seemed unlikely, the longtime sponsor joined a social media exchange with Ally Racing and Carvana Racing. It quickly caught the attention of the NASCAR garage, and former Cup Series driver Kenny Wallace was among those reacting.
Johnson’s farewell NASCAR Cup Series start at the 2027 Daytona 500 has taken another emotional step forward after Lowe’s publicly hinted at reuniting with the seven-time champion. He had already confirmed that his final Cup race will come in the iconic No. 48, with Hendrick Motorsports loaning the car to Legacy Motor Club for one final Daytona 500 appearance.
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The move reunites Johnson with the number that carried him to seven championships. But the sponsor that helped him get those titles appeared out of reach despite years of effort. That outlook changed after Lowe’s posted on X on August 3:
“@allyracing @CarvanaRacing need an ally for a last ride? Check your DMs 🏁”
The message immediately sparked excitement among NASCAR fans, as Lowe’s sponsored Jimmie Johnson from 2001 through 2018 during the most successful stretch of his Hall of Fame career. Ally Racing soon joined the conversation, replying:
“Let’s build something together. 💪”
Johnson then added on the comments thread:
“Let me put you guys in a group chat.”
Kenny Wallace reposted a screenshot of the exchange on X and summed up the reaction across the NASCAR community:
“Perfect example of social media at it best and how strong it is🏁#nascar”
Many fans believed the exchange had likely been planned for weeks and served as a creative way to tease the reunion. Jimmie Johnson, however, had suggested on August 1 that bringing Lowe’s back alongside Carvana and Ally would be extremely difficult.
Asked on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio whether there was any possibility of reuniting with Lowe’s for his farewell race, Johnson said:
“Boy, I know Hendrick has tried for a long time, and I certainly have. So you never want to say never with Carvana and our agreement announcement that they’re going to be with me through my final ride in Daytona. I wish there was something there, but that just seems like too far of a reach.”
Nothing has been officially announced about Lowe’s joining the Daytona 500 program. However, the X interactions between Lowe’s, Ally, Carvana and Jimmie Johnson have more than confirmed that they could reunite for one final race.
Jimmie Johnson explained how his iconic No. 48 return came together
Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick jointly announced the No. 48 reunion during the Brickyard 400. Hendrick revealed that Johnson personally called him months earlier with a request to race his final Cup event in the number 48. After discussions involving NASCAR, Ally, Alex Bowman and several other parties, the one-race agreement was approved.
Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week, Johnson explained how complicated the process had been behind the scenes:
“It’s an idea that I had and I knew that it was far fetched and be complicated and many layers to it, but I gave Rick a call and proposed the idea and he’s like, yeah, I love it. Let me get to work. And so with NASCAR and Ally, Alex and all the other important layers, we were able to get that part done and proud to have announced it. Some other layers to come as the race grows closer and we can put more of this together, but just so excited to know that I’ll be back in that 48 car one last time.”
Jimmie Johnson has made two Cup starts in the 2026 season, finishing 29th in the Daytona 500 before returning for the inaugural San Diego street race, where he finished 28th. His competitive farewell is now scheduled for the 2027 Daytona 500, where he is set to drive the iconic No. 48 once again with Lowe’s, Ally and Carvana all backing one final chapter for the Hall of Famer.
Edited by Anurup Chakraborty