SHOP: Batman v. Superman NASCAR gear
AVONDALE, Ariz. — A hero faceoff will take place next weekend at Auto Club Speedway in the Auto Club 400 with teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. front and center.
Johnson will sport a Superman paint scheme on his No. 48 Chevrolet, while Earnhardt will carry a Batman paint scheme on his No. 88 Chevrolet ahead of the March 25th release of the movie, “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
At Phoenix International Raceway for Sunday’s Good Sam 500 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion issued a proclamation.
“Superman’s going to kick Batman’s butt, bottom line,” Johnson said on Friday at Phoenix, the second of the three-race NASCAR Goes West swing.
“I didn’t have a say, but I was very happy to end up with Superman,” Johnson said. “I think Mark Martin called me that years ago and some have used that reference and nickname from time to time. I feel it was much more fitting than Batman.”
Martin, a teammate of Johnson’s at Hendrick Motorsports from 2009 to 2011, gave him that nickname following his win in 2009 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In that race, Johnson passed Martin with 24 laps to go and never relinquished the lead while Martin finished second.
Earnhardt has a history sporting paint schemes with both superheroes in recent years. In 2012, with “The Dark Knight Rises” as part of his paint scheme at Michigan International Speedway, he won the June race at the two-mile track. As recently as 2014, he sported a Superman paint scheme at Charlotte Motor Speedway (in May) and Michigan (in June).
Earlier this week, the fire suits for both drivers were revealed; the paint schemes were unveiled in January.