Jimmie Johnson Inks Two-Year NTT INDYCAR SERIES Deal With Chip Ganassi Racing

 

For fans who thought the next nine NASCAR races would be the last time they'd see seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in a firesuit, they can rest easy. Johnson isn't leaving racing. He's just heading to a new car.

Johnson and Chip Ganassi Racing announced a partnership, which will have Johnson join the  NTT INDYCAR SERIES for two seasons. Once sponsorship funding is secured for Johnson, he will join five-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, pairing two of racing's most successful drivers on the same team.

Because the IndyCar schedule is limited, the possibility remains open for the 20-year veteran to run a few races on the NASCAR calendar. Johnson would like to run 15 races during 2021, including the 12 road and street races on the IndyCar calendar and three NASCAR events.

Chris Owens/IndyCar

Johnson has been interested in IndyCar racing and had scheduled testing, which the pandemic promptly shut down. When Johnson himself tested positive for COVID-19 in July, he was forced to cancel yet another testing opportunity, but Ganassi was able to get him on the track just three weeks later. When he decided to move forward with racing in 2021, Johnson decided that Ganassi would be the right team for him. 

 
“Ganassi was highly motivated to give me a chance to drive a car to see what I thought, and the experience was all that I hoped for and more,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “I left a good impression with them where there’s definitely interest on their side, and now it’s time to formalize things and get the ball rolling.”

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Stacey Owens laughs when she’s asked whether she and her husband like the same Monster Energy Series drivers. Her husband doesn’t watch NASCAR; she’s the sole motorsports fan in her home. She’s been a fan since 2002 and is thrilled to be a part of the Skirts and Scuffs family.
   Stacey writes the weekly column “Right Sides Only: Notes from a Winning Crew Chief.” She believes that just as much of the spotlight should be shown on the guy who sits atop the war wagon because even though the driver gets the attention, NASCAR is most definitely a team sport, and no driver can win without a genius calling the shots from above.