While he built a squeaky-clean corporate image as one of motorsports’ smoothest spokesman, a CBD deal once might have seemed unfathomable for Jimmie Johnson.
But Friday’s announcement of Johnson as a strategic brand ambassador conversant in hemp varietals for cbdMD reveals how Johnson’s pristine brand and the emerging CBD market, which has become a multibillion-dollar industry, both have evolved.
Though he became comfortable as an active user of the product over the past few months, Johnson still checked with his sponsor lineup before agreeing to the multiyear deal with cbdMD, a publicly traded company based in Charlotte.
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“As I’ve educated myself, I’ve become much more comfortable, and as I walk down this road with all of my partners, they’ve all approved and are very comfortable with the relationship,” Johnson told NBC Sports. “If anyone raised their hand and said no, I probably would be more concerned, but I just feel like where CBD has evolved to and the education that has taken place, the benefits that are out there, I think we are dealing with a more educated society, and they understand it.”
Joining golfer Bubba Watson and MMA fighter Daniel Cormier as a cbdMD spokesman, Johnson will be part of the company’s approach to take its brand mainstream by having athletes tell their stories.
“Knowing the partnership has formed because they truly believe in me and like who I am and want to be a part of my brand, there is a deeper level of satisfaction,” said Johnson, who has become more involved with aggressively recruiting sponsors such as Carvana while moving into racing full time in IndyCar this season (in the “2.0 phase” of his career continues post-NASCAR).
TopSpeed Management president Brian Marks, a consultant for cbdMD who set up the company’s initial meeting with Johnson at the Petit Le Mans last year, said the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was its sole choice for its expansion into big-league racing.
“He lends a lot of credibility,” Marks told NBC Sports. “It’s instant starpower for sure. Especially in motorsport, he carries a lot of weight from a brand standpoint We are looking to give street credibility to the brand in a quick fashion. Doing something with Jimmie really allows us to ratchet that up with warp speed.”
The NTT IndyCar Series recently approved cbdMD for 2022 sponsorship after the company, which positions itself as a health and wellness brand that has requested to remove its drug exclusion with the FDA. There were two major requirements to earn IndyCar’s favor: That cbdMD’s products were 100 percent hemp and avoided using cannabis imagery in marketing.
The perception connecting the CBD industry with marijuana has been a major hurdle in receiving brand approval for auto racing sponsorships.
Johnson has used all of cbdMD’s products, ranging from topical oils to soft gels and gummies, and been “very impressed” with their impact on his muscle recovery from workouts and improved sleep quality, but he also wanted assurances while competing in a sport that has random drug testing and a zero-tolerance policy for even trace amounts of THC. He uses a QR code on cbdMD packaging to ensure each batch has no THC.
“In the past, I’ve been very nervous of taking the ingestibles, because there’s a chance of the THC level being too high and causing a problem,” Johnson said. “They’ve gone to great lengths to ensure the security that I would need as an athlete, especially for a sport that still screens for THC.
“I feel like a lot of people are comfortable with CBD on the topical side. When you get to the ingestibles is where the concern takes place. Hopefully, over time people will understand it and be more comfortable with it.”
That’s the goal of having Johnson, who kicked off the deal with a video unveiling a new helmet Friday morning. He also will be featured in a national advertising campaign on print, digital and cable TV (there are restrictions for network TV advertising). “They have huge plans and plan to blow it out and steer toward a peak at the Indy 500,” Johnson said.
Fresh new helmet for St. Pete; welcome to the team @cbdmd_usa.
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) February 25, 2022
To launch our partnership together, they are offering 25% off and a free bottle of Freeze with all orders this weekend, using code JJ48 on https://t.co/Mn8hikkUAC. pic.twitter.com/QiDwwD0gX1
Though starting as a personal services deal, Johnson said cbdMD eventually could grow into a larger sponsorship for his No. 48 Dallara-Honda as cbdMD wants to work with other sponsors such as Carvana and the American Legion (the company is active in military charities).
“They have taken a strong position trying to help with their image, and that aligns well with my brand,” Johnson said. “They look forward to educating people, and they feel like I can help be a huge advocate and voice for that. Instead of being concerned and nervous about image, they’re like, ‘Oh no. This is what we do.’
“Where we sit now, we hope to have a long runway with various opportunities. I certainly could see it evolve into a deeper relationship with the car. I could see myself being helpful with them in acquiring shelf space or getting involved in retailers at a different level. The agreement with them is such where we have this flexibility, and I’m certainly on board with it because I’m a believer in the product. And there’s nothing better for a brand than to have one of their endorsers believe in it and have the opportunity to grow with the company.”