Jett Johnson will drive a Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR at this weekend’s Adelaide Motorsport Festival.
Johnson is set to get behind the wheel of a 2016-model Chevrolet SS, the model based on the VF Commodore, at Victoria Park.
The car carries the backing of NAPA, which also sponsors the third-generation driver’s Super3 effort, as he seeks to emulate his grandfather Dick and father Steven.
However, the NASCAR outing will also be something of a throwback, given Dick started seven Cup Series races across 1989 and 1990, qualifying as high as 11th, at Sonoma, and finishing as high as 22nd, at Pocono.
Jett will be able to draw on his own knowledge of similar machinery, having won multiple TA2 titles in recent years.
“Driving the NAPA NASCAR in Adelaide is going to be really cool,” said the 18-year-old.
“It shouldn’t be much different to the Trans Am. The biggest difference will be the power, but I just raced in a Falcon V8 in New Zealand, so that was a good lead-up and I’m really excited for it.
“Grandad raced a NASCAR back in his day, so I’m not the first to drive a stock car – I just don’t want to replicate what he did at Sonoma and put it up on the tyre wall!
“It will be a cool weekend. I’ve never driven the Adelaide circuit before, and it’s a different layout to what Supercars run, but it is still going to be a great experience.”
The Hendrick NASCAR was built for oval racing and brought to Australia three years ago for promotional purposes.
Among the other highlights in Victoria Park this weekend will be an array of classic Formula 1 cars, and present-day F1 driver Valtteri Bottas getting miles in the VF Commodore Supercar which won the 2016 Bathurst 1000.
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