Johnson, out of Chase, seeing 'red' at Texas

No. 48 to wear special red vest-inspired paint scheme at Fort Worth

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Jimmie Johnson may be out of the running for a record-tying seventh career Sprint Cup Series title -- in 2014, at least -- but that doesn't mean he isn't still trying to do all he can for his team and his sponsors, including bringing his No. 48 Chevrolet to Victory Lane again before the season is up.

The defending series champion will have a little extra incentive when NASCAR heads to the Lonestar State next month for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Johnson's No. 48 will trade its traditional blue-based paint scheme for a red one -- a nod to the red vests worn by employees of Johnson's primary sponsor Lowe's.

"I know what the red vest means to everyone at Lowe's. That's why I'm proud to have red on my car at Texas," Johnson said. "I want to show Lowe's 260,000 employees that this is for them. It takes a team to run a race like this one, and it takes a team at Lowe's, day in and day out, to win.

"I'm proud to represent Lowe's. I've been, for the past 13 years, proud to have won races and championships with the pagoda on the hood and certainly representing the company like we do week in and week out. It's like family."

Johnson is the defending winner of the race, and last year's win was integral to his first championship victory since 2010.

"If I do my job and get this car into Victory Lane, we'll all have a reason to celebrate."


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