Jimmie Johnson to race IndyCar Series

Jimmie Johnson has signed a deal to race for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series.

In a video posted by Johnson, team owner Chip Ganassi said Johnson always said he wanted to drive for his team in IndyCar but “I didn’t realize he was serious about it. Our team couldn’t be happier that Jimmie wants to be here, so we’re looking forward to it.”

There was no confirmation of any races in Chip Ganassi Racing’s Wednesday release that announced “a partnership that will see (Johnson) officially explore the possibility of racing a full road and street course calendar in the NTT IndyCar Series for the 2021 and ’22 seasons.

IndyCar has yet to announce its schedule for next season, but it’s expected by the end of the month.

On the Dale Jr. Download podcast last month, Johnson said he wanted to run about 15 races in 2021, including at least a dozen IndyCar races on road and street courses (along with potentially a handful of NASCAR, off-road and sports car events).

He also is open to the Indianapolis 500 in 2022

Jimmie Johnson tested July 28 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in an IndyCar (Dallara-Honda for Ganassi).
The seven-time Cup Series champion said the session reignited his passion for wanting to race in IndyCar.

Johnson initially was scheduled to test for Arrow McLaren SP at Barber Motorsports Park in April and was fitted for a seat before the session was canceled because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said in July that the team remained interested in fielding a car for Johnson even after his test with Ganassi. Arrow McLaren SP managing director Taylor Kiel reaffirmed the point in a media conference call last week.

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Nate Ryan
NBC Sports

I think he'll do well.