Jimmie Johnson is a man who needs little introduction when it comes to driving ability. The former NASCAR Cup Series driver is arguably one of the most recognizable faces the stock car racing series has produced over the years.
Known for his seven career Cup Series championships in NASCAR, Johnson didn’t let his racing resume end there. The 47-year-old has amassed fans from several other genres of racing as he continues to explore his limits.
Since swapping cars with Fernando Alonso for a promotional event in Bahrain in 2018, the California native has continued to push himself in different forms of racing.
Johnson made his NTT IndyCar Series debut last year while also driving part-time in the IMSA SportsCar championship.
The 2022 season marks Jimmie’s full-time debut in IndyCar, where he will run road courses as well as ovals, which he did not do last year.
Driving the #48 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, Johnson is set to return to an environment he knows best: speedways.
Johnson spoke to Andrew Chernoff of WLKY about the 2022 Indianapolis 500 and his debut in the historic race next month. He said:
“This is bigger than the season for any and every driver and any and every team. There shouldn’t be any excuses come Memorial Day. I feel like we’ll have a great shot with our Carvana Honda.”
The former Hendrick Motorsports driver proved his prowess in adapting to an unfamiliar environment when he was the fastest rookie in a test at the famed Brickyard.
Jimmie Johnson one of five Chip Ganassi cars to run Indy 500 this year
Jimmie Johnson is all set to take on the challenge of driving an open-wheel car on a superspeedway as he gears up for his first full season in IndyCar this year.
The NASCAR veteran will be piloting the #48 Carvana Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.
Johnson is one of five cars that Ganassi plans to enter this year’s Indy 500, which are:
- Car No. 1 – Tony Kanaan
- Car No. 8 – Marcus Ericsson
- Car No. 9 – Scott Dixon
- Car No. 10 – Alex Palou
- Car No. 48 – Jimmie Johnson
With ex-F1 driver Marcus Ericsson and former Indy 500 winners Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan to keep him company, Johnson will have a lot to learn from his team.
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The 2022 iteration of the Indy 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 29, 2022.