CHARLOTTE, NC – Seven-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson is taking a break from racing full-time and will shift focus to family time.
He assumes his future schedule won’t include more than 10 bucket list events, but the 47-year-old doesn’t know what that schedule will look like on Monday.
Johnson told the Associated Press he was excited to announce “I have a white paper, and now we can see what opportunities exist and start making the calendar.” Sponsor Carvana has told Johnson they will support whatever race he pursues.
Johnson has lost two weeks from the IndyCar finale – with a weekend in the UK with Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti at the Goodwood Festival of Speed - before finalizing his decision to downsize. He told the AP that he doesn’t really need time to think about his future.
“It’s been an enjoyable process to feel satisfied with the experience and then try to make a decision,” says Johnson. “In a big project, there’s a lot of life planning going on with the kids. We’ve always had the idea of trying to live abroad for a year or two. We love Colorado and want to spend more time. there, and there’s just so much personal and professional focus that I just want to take a moment and make a decision that’s not based on a positive or negative experience on the track.”
So what does Johnson, who retires from NASCAR in 2020, think?
Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be part of the special “Garage 56” category by NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson has said from the start he wants to be part of the three-driver Le Mans team, even though this is a Next Generation show and the car will be alone in its class.
He’s been waiting for the 2023 IndyCar schedule to see if he’s still available, but will make sure his schedule is clear if NASCAR wants its future Hall of Famer to be part of the project.
IndyCar
Johnson certainly won’t be returning for a full second season of IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing. He only raced street and road in 2021, added the oval to run the full 2022 season and now isn’t even sure if he’ll run an IndyCar.
“We fully support Jimmie. He’s a valuable member of our team and if we can find a way to continue working together, we’d love to do so,” said the owner. group owner Ganassi said.
Johnson struggled on the streets and tracks for two seasons, with his best performances in rugby, which he dominated for nearly two decades at NASCAR. He finished the IndyCar fifth best at Iowa, and although he was ultimately knocked out of his Indianapolis 500 debut, Johnson spun a lap at more than 240 mph in one performance. shining ring.
“I really have a desire to go back, it’s just that at this point, I know what it takes to do a full schedule, and I don’t have that,” Johnson told the AP. “I don’t have that passion I need myself to commit to a full season.”
Big idea
Johnson has said since retiring from NASCAR in 2020 that he will race again in the series at the right opportunity and is now entertaining the idea of doing a “double” – Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in same day.
Kurt Busch was the last driver to make the 1,100-mile, two-state journey in 2014. Busch failed 200 miles to complete it when his engine failed at the closer NASCAR race. Tony Stewartwho has tried both races twice, is the only racer to complete all 1,100 miles. John Andretti and Robby Gordon both tried before Busch.
Johnson wants to try: He’s won the Coca-Cola 600 four times at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including three in a row from 2003-2005.
“You know me and endurance sports, and the dual sound is great,” Johnson told the AP. “I’ve always had this respect for those who have scored the double. I would say it’s more of a respectable thing than a bucket list item, and I wanted to put some energy into that idea and See if I can pull it out.”
Another NASCAR event that caught his attention? The race opens next year through the downtown streets of Chicago and the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro. Johnson noted that as a past winner, he was exempt from both the All-Star race and the show season opening clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
What else?
The future in motorsport is an unknown for Johnson after Petit Le Mans wraps up the IMSA season this weekend. He’s spent the past two seasons running endurance races during a joint engagement with Hendrick and Action Express, but doesn’t expect to have enough inventory next year as IMSA resumes rolling out his project. Johnson.
He told the AP he would consider racing in a lower IMSA category, such as the LMP2, and was even curious about the six-race World Endurance Championship. But the WEC Series appeals to him because of its exotic locations — Monza, Italy, the Fuji Highway in Japan, Bahrain — and the love of international travel he shares with his wife and two young daughters. .
He and his wife, Chani Johnson, learned about enrolling their daughter in school in the UK or France for a year to gain experience, and as a hands-on father, Johnson plays an active role. extreme in getting her daughters to and from their full schedules. sports and activities. Chani Johnson is also a successful owner of an art gallery and is looking to expand her business.
“Chani has always supported me to the nth level and at the same time also has goals, desires and pursues her path and career. I think she is optimistic and cautious when implementing this plan. “, Johnson told the AP. “But these decisions are based on the needs and requirements of the family, and I think it would be a little more complicated and complicated in my schedule if we could pull some travel and birth. living abroad.
“But those are decisions that are going to happen over the next few months. So I go into this, I’ll say no regrets. I look back and definitely take lessons from what happened, well and bad. But I’m not in my stomach for something unfinished, or any regrets I might have.”
