JIMMIE JOHNSON TO DRIVE BILL MUNCEY'S "BLUE BLASTER”
JIMMIE JOHNSON TO DRIVE BILL MUNCEY'S "BLUE BLASTER”
Seven-time NASCAR Champion’s Lifelong Dream Unlocks a 40-year Mystery
Seattle -- Hall of Fame driver Jimmie Johnson usually travels at 250-300 feet per second, but the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion from El Cajon, Calif., will fulfill a childhood dream and complete a 46-year journey of just 14 feet when he enters the cockpit of the fabled Atlas® Van Lines “Blue Blaster” of Unlimited hydroplane legend Bill Muncey at the Seafair Weekend Festival, August 1st.
Johnson’s journey began in San Diego in September 1979, while celebrating his fourth birthday at the Unlimited hydroplane races on Mission Bay. His favorite boat, the two-time national champion and three-time Gold Cup-winning Blue Blaster, owned by the legendary hometown driver Bill Muncey, broke down mid-race near the Fiesta Island beach.
Twists and Turns
Following Muncey’s death aboard the Blue Blaster two years later at the 1981 UIM World Championships in Acapulco, the boat was cosmetically, but not operationally, restored and presented to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C. as an early example of a marine surface effects vehicle.
His widow, Fran, continued the Atlas Van Lines team with a new boat and driver, Chip Hanauer. They would combine to win the APBA Gold Cup for the next seven consecutive (1982-88) years. Today, all four — Johnson, Hanauer and Bill and Fran Muncey — are inductees in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) in Daytona Beach.
The Restoration
When the Blue Blaster rotated out of the Smithsonian collection, it headed to the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in suburban Seattle, where museum director David Williams and their amazing volunteer crew, led by the late Don Mock, undertook a fully operational restoration.
When the stunning restoration was complete, the Muncey family returned to Lake Washington to rechristen the boat with Hanauer driving.
The 40-year Mystery is Solved
A few years later, Hanauer, Williams, and Mock learned from a Johnson crewmember that the driver was a Unlimited hydroplane fan. He provided Johnson’s contacts.
When Hanauer reached out and described the opportunity to possibly drive the Blue Blaster, Johnson got very excited.
Johnson explained that growing up in San Diego, his birthday was the week of the big boat races. The Blue Blaster was his favorite boat! His dad, Gary, would take him to the pits early in the week and they would watch the races from the beach on Fiesta Island.
Jimmie recalled that one year (1979), the Blue Blaster had broken down in the race and was drifting near the beach. Fans were wading out to the boat. His dad, Gary, carried Jimmie out and, with a nod from Bill Muncey, sat his son on the deck of the boat.
When Hanauer described the call, Mock recalled a photo from that San Diego race with Muncey on the bow and a little kid in a yellow hat near the back. He quickly located the photo. Bingo! For 40 years, no one knew that little kid was Jimmie Johnson!
Johnson was unaware of the photo, but at the Museum’s request had his mom confirm that indeed that was young Jimmie on the boat.
The Invitation
As part of Johnson’s 2024 induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the Muncey family and Hanauer told the story of the little boy in the photo and extended a formal invitation on behalf of the Hydroplane Museum for Jimmie to drive the Blue Blaster.
Earlier this year, Johnson cleared his calendar to accept the invitation, and plans are now in place for him to drive the Blue Blaster on Seattle’s Lake Washington on Friday, August 1st as part of the Seafair Festival. On that morning, almost 46 years to the day from when he sat on its rear deck, he’ll travel the roughly 14 feet to its cockpit.
Williams and the Hydroplane Museum team will join the Muncey family, and MSHFA president George Levy to welcome Johnson. Hanauer, a Seattle native and 11-time winner of the APBA Gold Cup and seven-time series champion will serve as Johnson’s Blue Blaster driving coach.
PHOTO CREDIT: Bill Osborne
About The Hydroplane & Race Boat Museum
The Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum is the nation's only public museum dedicated solely to powerboat racing. The museum features an incredible collection of vintage hydroplanes spanning seven decades, including boats that have won 17 American Power Boat Association Gold Cups. The Atlas Van Lines “Blue Blaster” hydroplane is powered by a 2,500 horsepower, supercharged,1650 cubic inch Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12 engine originally built to power British Spitfire fighter planes in World War II. The museum team has recently completed the engine installation and test-firing in preparation for Johnson’s drive.
About The MSHFA
Founded in 1986, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, is the premier Hall of Fame and Museum honoring all the top forms of professional motorsports in the United States. Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, the MSHFA attracts more than 120,000 visitors each year. Hanauer’s 1982-83 Atlas Van Lines, currently on loan from the Hydroplane Museum, is a highly popular attraction.
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, "The King", serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.
