Jimmie Johnson Will Drive in the 2022 Indy 500
Jimmie Johnson Will Drive in the 2022 Indy 500
Jimmie Johnson's 2021 IndyCar campaign on road and street courses saw mixed results. The seven-time NASCAR champ wanted a new challenge after retiring from stock cars, and he certainly got it. His transition couldn't really be described as smooth, with a number of early season incidents and a general lack of speed as the driver got used to a lightweight, open-wheel car with huge amounts of downforce. Jimmie Johnson Will Drive in the 2022 Indy 500
As the season went on, Johnson improved, getting quicker and more confident in the car, with fewer errors. He even started to get interested in running on ovals and at the Indy 500, something he didn't do in 2021 mainly because of safety concerns. But once the season concluded, he tested on the oval at Texas and passed rookie orientation at Indy. It seemed a foregone conclusion that Johnson would run the 500 in 2022. Jimmie Johnson Will Drive in the 2022 Indy 500
But it wasn't expected that he'd become a full-time IndyCar driver in 2022, which is what Johnson announced this morning. That means he'll be back with Chip Ganassi Racing, the 2021 series champs with Alex Palou, for all 17 races. Carvana will sponsor Johnson's car again for 16 of the 17 races. It's big for the series to have the NASCAR champ make such a commitment, and speaks to Johnson's gained confidence in the car and its safety over the last year.
The one question this raises is, what will happen to Tony Kanaan? The Brazilian driver was brought in by the team to drive Johnson's car on the ovals in 2021. It seems unlikely that Ganassi will run a fifth car on every oval, but the team might do that at the Indy 500. We'll see what the team decides to do.
So Jimmie Johnson Will Drive in the 2022 Indy 500
0 Response to "Jimmie Johnson Will Drive in the 2022 Indy 500"
Post a Comment