CONCORD, N.C. – As the 2018 season comes to a close, the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will harken back to the very beginning of the Lowe's era
In the penultimate race of the year, Jimmie Johnson will drive the very first paint scheme he ever piloted with Lowe’s, the “Power of Pride” car.
And in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the No. 48 Chevy will feature the design from Johnson’s rookie NASCAR Cup Series season in 2002.
It was a rookie campaign that began with a Daytona 500 pole – one of four pole positions Johnson earned that year – and featured six top-five finishes, 21 top-10s, 838 laps led and three wins.
When he tied Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list last season, Johnson recalled his mindset when he first joined the sport’s premier series.
“I swear to you, I only dreamed of winning a race, and to have 83 and to tie him is just absolutely mind-blowing,” he said at the time.
That very first win came in the 2002 Lowe’s paint scheme, and for that reason, Johnson said it will always hold a special place in his heart.
“We ran so many years with a very similar scheme, a very similar look to that rookie paint scheme,” he said. “It’ll be so nice to have it back.”
And with the No. 48 team featuring a new primary sponsor beginning next season, having such a meaningful paint scheme on the Lowe’s for Pros Chevy to close out 2018 will be even more special.
“I definitely think it will start the process of remembering all the years with Lowe’s,” Johnson said, “and where it started.”