After recently testing positive for COVID-19, Jimmie Johnson has been cleared to return to racing, starting with Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday.
NASCAR announced Friday that Johnson tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and he missed the Sunday’s Brickyard 400 — officially called the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered By Big Machine Records — at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the first time he missed a race in his Cup Series career since he began racing full-time in 2002.
For the sport’s seven-time champion to return to the track, NASCAR’s requirements, which follow current CDC guidelines, said Johnson needed to be asymptomatic — as he explained he has been — have two negative COVID-19 tests at least 24 hours apart and be cleared by his doctor.
Johnson never experienced COVID-19 symptoms, Hendrick Motorsports said, adding that he tested negative on Monday and Tuesday. The 44-year-old driver was then cleared by his physician Tuesday evening, the team noted.
“My family is so grateful for the incredible love and support we’ve received over the last several days,” Johnson said in a release from Hendrick Motorsports. “I especially want to thank Justin Allgaier for stepping in for me at Indy and being a true pro. I’m excited about getting back to business with my team this weekend.”
After Johnson initially tested positive, four Hendrick crew members were tested for COVID-19, and they all had negative results, the team said. So Johnson and the No. 48 Chevrolet team will have its regular roster competing in Sunday’s Kentucky race.
In addition to following NASCAR’s COVID-19 rules — which include temperature checks, required PPE and contact tracing — Hendrick instituted its own precautions to keep its team as safe as possible. Those measures include daily health screenings, split work schedules and the separation of its traveling employees versus those working in the shop.
Johnson said Saturday that he and his wife, Chandra, tested positive, while their two daughters’s tests were negative. He called it a heartbreaking experience to try to parent while also worrying about getting them sick.
He told reporters during a video call:
“Thankfully we’re healthy and hope to stay that way, but for a nine and a six-year-old, to try to manage the fear right now and they can’t come around mom or dad. You know, we’ve got to feed them and we’re concerned about feeding them and passing the virus. We’re trying to be as healthy as we can, but on the home front with our kids, we’re heartbroken right now to see the fear in their eyes and watching them try to manage what’s going on right now.”
Johnson is currently 15th in the driver standings, which is one spot about the 16-driver cutoff. He dropped from 12th after missing Sunday’s race at Indy and will need to stay among the top-16 drivers or win a race to qualify for the 10-race playoffs this fall.
The next NASCAR Cup Series is Sunday at Kentucky Speedway at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
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