Jimmie Johnson Done With IndyCar, But Doesn't Rule Out NASCAR Return

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Jimmie Johnson is done with full-time IndyCar racing, but he's also not ruling out a return to NASCAR. 

At some point, of course.

In a video tweeted by Johnson Monday morning, the seven-time Cup champion announced that he would not be returning to the IndyCar Series next season, but stopped short of saying he was retiring from racing for good.

"All the commitments required to be your best for a full-time season ... I'm just not there right now," Johnson said. "I feel like 2022 checked so many boxes for me that I'm going to take a deep breath. I'm still working on my bucket races to compete in ... I've always been curious to see if there's a one-off event in NASCAR that might work for me."








Jimmie Johnson back in NASCAR?

Is Jimmie Johnson really done with racing this time? Don't count out a one-off NASCAR race. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)


Jimmie Johnson leaving IndyCar, but may not be done with NASCAR


Johnson retired from NASCAR following the 2020 season, but he hasn't exactly rode off into the sunset.

The 47-year-old has raced in the past two Rolex 24s at Daytona, competed in several IndyCar races in 2021 and ran full-time this season.







While Johnson never won - or, really, got close to winning - in the IndyCar Series, he did perform far better this season.

He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in May, led two laps, and was elected the race's Rookie of the Year. At Iowa in July, Johnson collected his first career IndyCar top five finish.






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Jimmie Johnson won seven NASCAR championships before retiring in 2020. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)



Johnson won seven NASCAR Cup titles over a two-decade career, most recently in 2016. His performance waned in later years, with his last Cup win coming at Dover back in 2017.

Since retiring from full-time Cup racing two years ago, Johnson has run two Rolex 24s, finishing second with the No. 48 Cadillac in 2021.

Along with a possible NASCAR return, Johnson also said he'd like to run the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

One possible race to keep an eye on in the NASCAR world could be the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro. 

 

 











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Zach grew up in Florida, lives in Florida, and will never leave Florida ... for obvious reasons. He's a reigning fantasy football league champion, knows everything there is to know about NASCAR, and once passed out (briefly!) during a lap around Daytona. He swears they were going 200 mph even though they clearly were not.