The seven-time NASCAR champion will participate in the full season—including taking on the Indy 500.
- Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson announced he is set to race the full 2022 NTT IndyCar schedule for Chip Ganassi Racing.
- Johnson joined the open-wheel series this year, driving in 12 of the 16, skipping primarily the oval races—most notably, the Indianapolis 500.
- The 2022 season marks the second year of Johnson’s two-year contract with Chip Ganassi Racing.
When a child tastes candy for the first time, he or she invariably wants more.
That’s kind of the feeling seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson had last year, when he shifted series and competed in 12 of 16 NTT IndyCar Series races.
And now, after having sampled IndyCar competition, Johnson is all-in, announcing Wednesday morning that he will run the entire 2022 IndyCar season schedule, including the marquee event, the 106th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
I’m going #FullTime next year! I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the @Carvana machine for the full @INDYCAR season, including the #Indy500. #NoFinishLines pic.twitter.com/pCOUno42To
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) December 15, 2021
“First and foremost, I just feel like the luckiest guy in the world,” Johnson said while making the announcement on NBC’s TODAY Show. “I kind of have a 2.0 in IndyCar after a great career in NASCAR … driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“Last year, I ran a limited schedule, and I’m very excited to be here today to announce I’ll be full-time in 2022. I’ll run the entire schedule for the championship points, and that includes the marquee event, the Indianapolis 500.”
It’s not a surprising turn of events that Johnson, who turned 46 in September, will run the entire series, including the 500. Johnson has never been one to walk away from any challenge that various forms of racing he’s competed in over the years have presented.
Not in karts, not in motorcycles, not in off-road racing, not in NASCAR. He’s certainly not going to start in IndyCar.
More precisely, he was not going to eventually walk away from IndyCar without at least running even one full season—but even more importantly, running in the Indianapolis 500, one of the most storied races in the world.
Seven-time NASCAR champion @JimmieJohnson announces he’ll race in the Indy 500! pic.twitter.com/5D1H38GOmS
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 15, 2021
They don’t call it the Greatest Spectacle In Racing for nothing … because it truly is.
A fastidious athlete who may be 46 in age but looks maybe 30 in body, Johnson can handle the physical demands of the IndyCar campaign in 2022.
But can he make significant improvements upon his driving performance? That’s the big question.
Last season, he did not drive any of the four oval races (veteran driver Tony Kanaan replaced Johnson in those events). And in the 12 road and street course races Johnson competed in, well, let’s just say his performance was far from electrifying.
Johnson during practice rounds at the 2021 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, where he would get his one of his top finishes on the season.
Greg DohertyGetty Images
His top finish was 17th, in the last two races of the season (Laguna Seca and Long Beach). He finished 2oth or worse in eight other races. His top qualifying effort was 21st, in the season-opener at Birmingham, Alabama.
He failed to lead any laps all season and suffered two DNFs (throttle at Belle Isle I, and crashed at Nashville). His average start was 23.6 and average finish was 21.1. He ultimately finished 26th in the final season standings.
He didn’t even come close to winning Rookie of the Year (albeit missing four races didn’t exactly help his chances).
So what makes Johnson think he can now, finally, be up to competing full-time in IndyCar? Simple, a winner—and he did that 83 times and seven championships in his NASCAR career—never walks away without at least trying once, especially for the Indy 500.+
Success is like a drug. And the more you have it, the more you want to feed that habit. Johnson is no different. He wouldn’t want his NASCAR legacy to be tarnished by being known as a quitter or simply a “part-time” driver in another series to end his racing career.
He also went as far as he could go in NASCAR. When he failed to win a race in his final 131 Cup starts over 3 2/3 full seasons, he knew it was time to call it quits. But that was only quitting in NASCAR. He was always intrigued by IndyCar and when Chip Ganassi offered Johnson a ride, with no pressure, just do what he could do, the man nicknamed “JJ” couldn’t resist.
Sure, his first IndyCar season was rough, but it’s likely very few—if any—expected him to jump over from NASCAR and dominate the open-wheel world right from the start.
Where does Johnson go from here? It’s possible 2022 may be his second—and final—IndyCar season. He’ll be only days away from turning 47 when the season concludes on September 11 at Laguna Seca in Monterrey, California.
Plus, his daughters are at an age where they’re getting into their own activities such as horse riding, skiing and yes, even piloting airplanes! Johnson missed enough of their early lives in NASCAR. Does he want to continue that string of absences while he’s off racing in IndyCar?
Jimmie Johnson holds his daughter, Lydia, on the grid prior to the Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 14, 2021.
Sean GardnerGetty Images
Johnson’s current contract with Chip Ganassi is only a two-year deal, with 2022 being the back-half of that deal.
And if, hypothetically, Johnson remains an also-ran once again in the upcoming season, it’s questionable whether Ganassi will keep him around for a third season in 2023 … unless primary sponsor Carvana is willing to foot the bill yet again like it is doing for 16 of the 2022 season’s 17 races.
So 2022 is more than just about Johnson running the full season. It’s all about showing what he can do and proving he can do it. Frankly, it’s unlikely he’ll have more than maybe one or two top-10 finishes. It’s even more unlikely that he’ll earn a podium finish.
And winning the Indy 500? His chances would be better at winning Powerball.
Still, you have to give Johnson a lot of credit. He’s proving to everyone that he’s going to give it his all and is also yet another example that race car drivers can still be productive well into their 40s.
Heck, look at Johnson’s CGR teammate, Kanaan. He turns 47 on New Year’s Eve (and plans on racing in several races still in 2022, including the 500). And two-time IndyCar champ Takuma Sato will give it another go in 2022, having signed last week with Dale Coyne with Rick Ware Racing, even though Sato will turn 45 on January 28.
“That moment being part of the broadcast really cemented my desire to be in the 500.”
Johnson watched this past season’s Indy 500 in-person at IMS from the NBC-TV booth, offering color commentary. But more importantly, Johnson saw another old guy, 46-year-old Helio Castroneves, win the 500 for the fourth time in his career, tying him with three of the sport’s fellow legends: A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, and the late Al Unser, who passed away nearly a week ago.
When Johnson watched Castroneves cross the finish line and the resulting emotional post-race celebration, could JJ be blamed if he quietly thought to himself, “Heck, if Helio can do it, why can’t I?” And that likely was the seed planted that led to Wednesday’s announcement.
“That moment being part of the broadcast really cemented my desire to be in the 500,” Johnson said on TODAY. “It was my first time attending the race. I had massive FOMO (fear of missing out) in watching the event take place. Following that, there were many steps to work through. The two oval test sessions that I competed in really helped me get to the place where I am today, and I’m ready to go.”
Who knows, if Johnson is able to conquer IndyCar in 2022—or at the very least, conquer the Indy 500—sure, he may call it a career at the end of the season.
Don’t forget, he actually has four wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway already—all in NASCAR’s Brickyard 400. If he by some miracle wins the 500 on May 29, he actually could rewrite history at the venerable 2.5-mile oval and do something Foyt, Mears, Unser, and Castroneves never did: win five times at the old Brickyard.
Or, maybe he’ll reinvent himself once again—you might call him Jimmie Johnson 3.0—and try his hand at Formula One or NHRA Drag Racing. After all, JJ is a man who never says no to a challenge.
As he ended his TODAY interview, Johnson spoke volumes: “I can’t step aside just yet. I’m having too much fun.”
Keyword: Jimmie Johnson Will Race the Full IndyCar Schedule in 2022