Boston Marathon: NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson To Run

NEWTON, MA — NASCAR complete with pit crew in tow is coming to Newton. In between training for his 17th season and trying for an eighth Cup Series win, NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson is running the 123rd Boston Marathon.

The 43-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver will be running his first 26.3-miler from Hopkinton to Boston on April 15 with a pit stop in Newton. A "pit crew" of about 100 supporters decked in NASCAR gear, sporting Ally Financial Racing colors and signs will be cheering for him at the mile 17 firehouse, and giving out freebies. Ally signed on as his primary racing sponsor in October.

Racing cars may be his profession but away from the track he's got a serious fitness regime that includes skiing, cycling, swimming and running. He has competed in several half marathons and triathlons, including a half Ironman where he placed 15th overall. Before qualifying for the Daytona 500 and The Clash exhibition race, Johnson completed the Daytona Beach Half Marathon, finishing second in his 40s age group and 15th overall. So perhaps, then, it may come as no surprise, that he's running Boston.

Johnson told Runner’s World recently his goal is to finish in less than three hours, but acknowledged that was ambitious coming off some running-related injuries a car race on the Richmond Raceway on Saturday night before the Boston Marathon.

“It’s an aggressive goal,” Johnson told Runners World. “Just the way my mind works, I need something to go chase. My first full, and on such a challenging course… who knows what sorts of elements we’re going to be dealing with, but I know it’s a very aggressive goal to set.”

But he's done similar things before: A week before the 2019 Daytona 500 in February, he did the Daytona Beach Half Marathon and finished second in his early-40s age group at 1:34:18.

Although most runners have to qualify for the Boston Marathon or raise thousands of dollars for a charity to get a bib, Johnson received a sponsor-exempt entry thanks to Gatorade.

Though he's taken flac for it, Johnson is the only race car driver in history to be named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year, he is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, sharing the all-time record with stock car racing icons Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

"The mindset in the car and in this physical space is identical. And I feel like every rep I get through my fitness side only makes me stronger and more focused and more dedicated to the car side," he said a couple months before the marathon on an Endurance Gatorade video.

Everything marathon:

• Boston Marathon 2019: What Time It Starts, How Fast, Weather & More
• Where To Eat In Brookline On Marathon Monday 2019
• Boston Marathon 2019: How To Track A Runner
• Boston Marathon Adds Fan Fest For 2019
• Boston Marathon 2019 Road Closures In Newton

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).