Jimmie Johnson has announced that he will contest the 2022 Indianapolis 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing, placing one of racing’s biggest names into one of the biggest races of the year.
Talk of Johnson’s participation in the great race has been ramping up for much of last season, hyped further by his participation in the Rookie Orientation Program in October.
With this announcement, Johnson confirmed he will be running the full IndyCar season next year, adding both short and high-speed ovals to his schedule.
Similar to the path that Romain Grosjean has taken over the past year, the 46-year-old IndyCar rookie decided to get his feet wet by running just the road and street courses in 2021.
An ever-growing interest in the other half of the diverse sport, however, led him to pursue the sponsorship and other arrangements necessary to add the remaining five races to his schedule.
“I’m really excited about this next chapter of my career and competing in the No. 48 with Carvana for the 2022 season,” said Johnson. “The safety of these cars has come so far, and after I tested the ovals at Texas and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I realized this was a challenge I wanted to undertake.
“I’m thankful for Chip, Carvana and all who made this possible. Last season was so incredible for me and I made a lot of progress, so I know I can be competitive on tracks that I have experience on.
“I can’t wait to be part of the Indianapolis 500. It’s a childhood dream come true.”
The seven-time NASCAR champion is no stranger to winning on the biggest of stages, with two of his 83 victories coming in that series’ crown jewel, the Daytona 500.
Johnson has also found success at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the past, winning the prestigious Brickyard 400 on four separate occasions.
He will likely have to compete for a spot on the starting grid of the Indy 500, however, as there is expected to be more than the maximum allowed number of cars attempting to qualify for the 33 available spots.
Johnson’s first order of business in May will be to complete his mandated Rookie Orientation Program, and then he will be allowed to practice and qualify with the rest of the veterans in the lead-up to the May 29th event.
