Former NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson announced Wednesday he will make a full transition to IndyCar in 2022, including the Indy 500:
The 46-year-old was a seven-time champion of the NASCAR Cup Series before retiring from full-time participation in 2020. He began competing in IndyCar last year but avoided oval courses while limiting himself to street and road tracks.
Johnson will now compete full-time next year for Chip Ganassi Racing in all 17 events.
"I'm really excited about this next chapter of my career and competing in the No. 48 with Carvana for the 2022 season," he said, per Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press. "The safety of these cars has come so far, and after I tested the ovals at Texas and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I realized this was a challenge I wanted to undertake."
Johnson struggled during his rookie season in IndyCar, ending the year 26th in the point standings while his best finish in any race was 17th at both Laguna Seca and Long Beach.
He skipped the Indy 500 in May, the biggest event on the calendar.
There is still plenty of potential for a driver who won 83 races in NASCAR, including two at the Daytona 500. His seven titles are tied for the most all time alongside Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.
Johnson will try to join Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt as the only drivers ever to win the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 in their careers.
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