Johnson to drive JRM Nationwide entry at Watkins Glen

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – If Jimmie Johnson will race anything with an engine, driving one that could carry him to victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International is a no-brainer.

JR Motorsports announced today that Johnson will pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet in the Aug. 13 road-course event at Watkins Glen in promotion of his soon-to-be-launched video game Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine. Published by Autumn Games and developed by Isopod Labs, Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine is scheduled for an October 2011 release on all three major home consoles.

A five-time champion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Johnson’s entry at Watkins Glen will mark his first Nationwide Series race since competing in four events for JR Motorsports in 2008. In 91 career Nationwide races, he has one win, eight top-fives and 23 top-10s. The road-course car he will drive at Watkins Glen will be the same one that carried Ron Fellows to a second-place finish at Road America on June 25th.

“This is a unique opportunity to not only run in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports, but a fun way to remind fans that our new video game will be released in a few months,” Johnson said. “We had a lot of fun creating this game, and I think the fans will appreciate the imagination we put into it. Being able to race a JR Motorsports car and promote my game at the same time is a great opportunity. Tony Eury Jr. and Ron Fellows nearly won at Road America in June, so maybe we can do one better.”

Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine will allow players to race unconventional vehicles created from the most unlikely of everyday objects such as shopping carts and dumpsters, armed with powerful side rams and front and rear custom weapons. The game introduces an eccentric group of characters, including Hazzard Mower, who uses his souped-up lawnmower to cut down the competition and Megaton, a former military officer who barrels around the track on a high-speed bomb.  It features progressively challenging tracks complete with pyrotechnics, hazards, traps and jumps. Click here for a sneak peak of No. 7 Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With An Engine Chevrolet

The game will feature up to eight player online multiplayer action on supported consoles, including ranked and private races, and up to four players in split-screen multiplayer as they battle for first place across the couch, around the globe or both.

“We couldn’t be more excited about partnering with JR Motorsports to help kick off the unveiling of Jimmie Johnson’s Anything with an Engine,” said Alex Collmer, CEO of Autumn Games. “We’ve been working hard with Jimmie for a long time now to build a humorous game that fans of all ages will have a blast playing, and now it’s time to start sharing the fun with racing fans all over.”  

Five different drivers have piloted the No. 7 Chevrolet this year – Fellows, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, Josh Wise and Kasey Kahne – and all five have scored top-10 finishes.