Jimmie Johnson is retiring from full-time racing again — this time from the NTT IndyCar Series, The Associated Press reports.
Johnson cited the desire to focus on spending time with his family as the main factor in the decision.
Since retiring from full-time NASCAR competition following the 2020 season, Johnson has competed in 29 NTT IndyCar Series races, competing in his first full-time season in 2022. He scored a best finish of fifth at Iowa Speedway in July 2022.
“It’s been an interesting process to feel so fulfilled with the experience and then also try to make a decision,” Johnson told the AP. “In the big scheme of things, there is so much life-planning going on with the kids. We’ve always had an 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 swirling personally and professionally that I just wanted to take some time and make the decision not on the back of a positive or negative experience on the racetrack.”
Johnson said that he will compete in no more than 10 events in the future, but does plan on racing on a part-time basis.
I couldn’t have asked for a better experience in the @Indycar series. Looking ahead, I will not return to INDYCAR full time in 2023 but will continue to look for new ways to challenge myself and participate in bucket list events. Hear more: https://t.co/H3e7X6PTLG pic.twitter.com/0kujpWdCaw
— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) September 26, 2022
The 47-year-old has expressed interest in running the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports’s Garage 56 entry. Johnson also has hinted at pursuing the Double on Memorial Day by competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
“You know me and endurance sports, and the double sounds awesome,” Johnson said. “I’ve always had this respect for the guys who have done the double. I would say it is more of a respect thing than a bucket-list item, and I’d love to put some energy into that idea and see if I can pull it off.”
In addition to his seven NASCAR Cup Series titles, Johnson recorded 83 wins, 232 top fives, and 374 top 10s at the Cup level. He finished 21st in points in his lone full-time season in IndyCar, recording two top 10s in his career.
About the author
Luken Glover arrived on the Frontstretch scene in 2020. He has been an avid NASCAR fan for the majority of his life, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, who used to help former team owner Junie Donlavey in his garage. Glover covers news for the site and took over "The Underdog House" column in 2021. In addition to being a college junior, his hobbies include volunteering at church, playing basketball and tennis, racing go-karts, and helping at his high school alma mater.
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Well that didn’t last long but I doubt anyone thought it would. Starting a career in any racing series when you are over 40 is tough.
I find it interesting that the two racing disciplines (Indycar vs NASCAR) have seemed to drift further apart and appear to be more car-specific skillsets than ever. Back in the day there were drivers who had success in both series (think Mario, AJ, and others I’m sure I am missing at the moment). Jaun Pablo was maybe the closest in the last 20-30 years (excluding Tony Stewart). I recall Dario winning an Indy championship, failing in NASCAR, then winning the next 3 Indycar titles. Johnson won 7 Cup titles, and struggled in Indycar. I don’t recall how well John Andretti did in Indycar, or if he ran a full season. I don’t recall Sam Hornish being a total flop in NASCAR (I believe Busch series), but he didn’t have overwhelming success either. And we all know about Danica. Kurt did well in the one Indy500 he raced, but hard to gauge if that was “beginners luck” or if he’d have done well in a full Indycar season. Who else am I missing?
Dan Gurney. Also Lil’ Al and Tom Sneva dabbled in NASCAR.