Johnson, who joined the Chip Ganassi Racing team in IndyCar in 2021, competed only on road tracks and permanent circuits during his first season in the single-seater category, besting a 17th place finish in the final two rounds.
For 2022, however, he opted for a full time commitment and, as expected, he shone on the ovals, taking sixth place at the Texas Motor Speedway. He then qualified 12th Indy 500 to earn the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year title.
Sixteenth place in both Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca remained his best finish on traditional tracks, but on the ovals he continued to amaze by taking fifth place at the Iowa Speedway.
This morning, on social media, the 47-year-old legend said: “I could not have asked for a better experience in the IndyCar Series. Looking ahead I will not be returning to IndyCar full time in 2023, but I will continue to look for new ways to challenge myself and participate in unmissable events “.
Johanson described his season as “fun” with “ups and downs”, and continued: “I have improved, but I have realized that the challenge is two or three times bigger than what I thought at the beginning! I don’t want to to face another full season if I know I can’t give my best. “
Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images
Johnson said Carvana will support him “in whatever he wants to do,” but confirmed he won’t compete full-time in 2023.
“I’m not saying that I no longer have a car and that I will not compete anymore. I still have the desire to race, but from the point of view of what is required by a full time commitment, by the energy, by the effort, by the distant time. from home, from all the commitments necessary to give my best in a full time season, at the moment I’m not ready “.
“I feel like 2022 has been such an important experience for me and that I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’m going to take a deep breath and think about what ’23 could be like. I’m still working on my type of contract. working on my list of races to run ”.
“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is still there waiting for me. I love racing, I love IndyCar and have always been curious to know if there could be a unique event in NASCAR that could be for me. “
“So all of that is still in play and I’m really going to race somewhere next year. Luckily I have options. I had a great time at Chip Ganassi Racing and I know Chip doesn’t want to see me go anywhere. I’m definitely going to go anywhere. evaluating some options. Carvana has supported me in an extraordinary way and I know that, as long as I am behind the wheel of a car, I am sure they will want to continue the relationship and be present on this journey and I want to thank the fans for their support ”.
“I want to reiterate that this is not goodbye. I will find new projects and continue to find new ways to challenge myself.”
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