On Monday, Carvana Chip Ganassi driver Jimmie Johnson announced he is retiring from full-time driving in the NTT IndyCar Series. The 47-year-old from El Cajon, California, concluded his first and only full-time season in IndyCar with a career-high fifth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. In 2021, he ran road and street courses but not ovals.
In a video on Monday, Johnson explained his decision to retire from full-time racing. “I’ve made the decision that I will not compete full-time in 2023. This was a difficult choice for me, but in my heart, I know it’s the right one.”
The seven-time NASCAR champion added, “I’m not exactly sure what the next chapter holds, but if an opportunity comes along that makes sense, I will consider it. I still have a bucket list of racing events I would like to take part in. Competing at this level in IndyCar has been a dream come true. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to race for than Chip Ganassi and Chip Ganassi Racing. Everyone worked extremely hard for the last two seasons, pushing to get the best performances out of me every single week. The support from my crew and teammates Dario (Franchitti), Scott (Dixon), Tony (Kanaan), Marcus (Ericsson), and Alex (Palou) went above and beyond anything I could have ever asked for.”
Johnson has competed in many motorsports, from Off-Road Trucks to NASCAR to IndyCar. He raced in the NASCAR Cup Series for 20 years, winning 83 races, 232 top-five, 374 top-ten finishes, and 36 poles. In addition to IndyCar, Johnson competes in the endurance races for IMSA, scoring a second-place finish in the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Johnson has long expressed a return to NASCAR if the deal is right. Among his bucket list, he wants to try the doubleheader, racing the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Kurt Busch was the last driver to do a doubleheader in 2014. Johnson also wants to compete in the 24H Le Man’s race and is open to racing in a lower IMSA category like LMP2.
The good news for Johnson is that Carvana will back him wherever he races next. Carvana co-founder and chief brand officer Ryan Keeton said, “Our team admires his passion, hard work, and commitment to continuous improvement while also having fun, and we look forward to continuing to support him next year in this new chapter.”
Chip Ganassi fully supported Johnson’s decision, saying, “He has been a valued member of our team, and if we can find a way to continue working together, we would like to do so.”
There’s no question that Jimmie Johnson has left a considerable mark in the racing world. This is a good move for him as he gets to spend time with his family and pick the dates he wants to race. Whatever race Johnson competes in next, fans will tune in to watch. The future Hall of Famer recently competed in the RAC TT Celebration in the No. 13 Cobra.
