New York (Jan 11, 2019) – Jimmie Johnson was accompanied by one of his biggest fans to reveal his new No. 48 Ally Chevy paint scheme for the 2019 season in Times Square, live on Good Morning America. 10-year-old Trevin of Florida received the surprise of a lifetime by being flown to the GMA studio with his armed services veteran father to meet his biggest fan, Jimmie Johnson. Johnson and Ally teamed up with Make-A-Wish® to make the reveal happen as well as attend the Daytona 500 as Johnson’s guest.
It’s finally here!
The brand-new @Ally 48 Chevy. Can’t wait to see it on the track this year! pic.twitter.com/VmKxflqAhU
— Ally Racing (@allyracing) January 11, 2019
“Today is such an incredible day for Trevin. We are grateful to Ally and Jimmie Johnson for inviting Trevin to this car and wish reveal today,” said Shaina Reeser, director of sports and entertainment for Make-A-Wish. “For 15 years, Jimmie Johnson has been committed to granting wishes for children with critical illnesses and understands the importance of a wish come true. We are enormously grateful for his support and passion for creating life-changing moments for wish kids.”
Not only for Trevin however, this new paint scheme reveal was a big moment for NASCAR-legend Jimmie Johnson as well. Lowe’s announced in March of 2018 that they would be ending their long-time sponsor of Johnson’s No. 48 Chevy. Lowe’s began sponsoring Johnson full-time during his rookie cup series season in 2002. During that time, Johnson won a record-tying seven Cup Series championships and 83 races. Their combination of driver and brand was one of the most successful all-time and has become as synonymous as Richard Petty with STP, Jeff Gordon with DuPont or Dale Earnhardt with GM Goodwrench.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take the racing superstar long to find another sponsor, regardless of the current financial state of NASCAR. Hendrick Motorsports and Ally Bank have agreed on a two-year deal that will place the Ally logo on Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet for all 38 races of each season in the Monster Energy Series of 2019 and 2020. The new Ally paint scheme on the champion driver’s car will debut on February’s 2019 Daytona Speedweeks and the 61st running of the Daytona 500.
“This is an exciting beginning with Ally, and we wanted a car that conveyed that excitement to our fans,” Johnson said this morning after unveiling the new car on Good Morning America. “Personally, I’ve put a ton of time in on this paint scheme to help our team develop the new look.”
Surely the new paint scheme was bound to upset a fair share of Jimmie Johnson fans but the change was inevitable with a completely different sponsor. Johnson selected black gloss as his base color with matte decals in Ally’s company color of purple. Johnson chose to maintain some nostalgia for his fans as well by keeping the iconic neon yellow for the color of his 48 number on the car. Nevertheless, most NASCAR fans appear displeased with Jimmie Johnson’s 2019 Ally paint scheme – as seen from ESPN’s fan poll. Regardless, Ally feels confident in the car’s design.
“We wanted Jimmie and fans throughout the country to love the car, so we were ecstatic that he took such a hands-on approach to developing a paint scheme that would stand out and his fans would embrace,” said Andrea Brimmer, chief marketing and PR officer for Ally. “It’s just another example of why our relationship is such a great match. His values line up with Ally’s approach. We both have high standards and want to make sure we ‘Do it Right’ for our fans and customers.”
After Jimmie Johnson’s dismal season last year, fans are just hoping for better finishes – regardless of how the car looks. Shortly after entering the NASCAR history books with 83 wins and 224 top-5 finishes in 615 races, last season was Johnson’s first time to not win a single cup-series race since driving full-time. He only had 2 top-5 finishes, 11 top-10’s and a disappointing 40 laps led all-season. Even if most fans appear initially unhappy with Jimmie Johnson’s 2019 Ally paint scheme reveal, seeing the Jimmie Johnson fans remember will surely alter their attitudes.
