12 hours ago
Auction of a Lifetime to See Jimmie Johnson Drive the Blue Blaster Hydroplane
Got to hand it to the folks at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America for coming up with unique auctions to help support the Hall of Fame and its mission of honoring racing greats.
The latest such auction to raise funds for the Hall of Fame is a hydroplane experience featuring, get this, one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time, Jimmie Johnson.
The highest bidder in a current no-reserve charity auction over at Bring a Trailer (Bring a Trailer and Autoweek are part of the Hearst Autos media group) and a guest will get a prize package that includes:
A VIP experience at the 2025 Seattle Seafair unlimited Hydroplane races on Aug. 1.
Ticket to an exclusive reception with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and 11-time APBA Gold Cup champion Chip Hanauer.
Opportunity to watch Johnson pilot Bill Muncey's Atlas Van Lines "Blue Blaster" hydroplane at speed on Lake Washington.
The Jimmie Johnson/Chip Hanauer/Blue Blaster hydroplane experience is offered by the Daytona, Florida-based Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) with the help of the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Kent, Washington.
The entire winning bid, including the Bring a Trailer buyer's fee, will be donated to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Click HERE to bid on this experience. Bidding ends on Tuesday, July 1 at 2:36 p.m.
There's more to Johnson's trek to be part of the hydroplane show and a chance to run the Blue Blaster than meets eye. It's more a twist of fate, as Johnson has a history with the hydroplane that goes back four decades.
As a youngster from El Cajon, Calif., Johnson would watch the hydroplanes with his dad, Gary, from the beach on Fiesta Island, near San Diego. In 1979, the Blue Blaster was one of the stars of the show, but this time the boat broke down in the race and drifted near the beach.
Fans, including Jimmie and his dad, waded out to the boat, and Jimmie's dad got permission through a nod from team owner and Southern California native Bill Muncey to sit the young lad on the boat. Somewhat miraculously, years later, a photo resurfaced from that day, and Johnson's mom confirmed to the Hydroplane Museum that the youngster sporting a yellow hat on the deck of the boat was her son.
Fast forward to Johnson's 2024 induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. There, the Muncey family and Hanauer shared the story of the little boy on the deck of the Blue Blaster and invited Johnson on behalf of the Hydroplane Museum to drive the now-restored and speed-ready hydroplane.
On August 1, you and a guest could get a front-row seat for the next chapter in the saga of Jimmie Johnson and the Blue Blaster.
