NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson’s IndyCar test postponed
By Asher Fair
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson’s maiden IndyCar test with Chip Ganassi Racing has been put on hold.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was slated to drive a Honda-powered IndyCar for Chip Ganassi Racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Wednesday, July 8.
IndyCar is set to run a race at the 13-turn, 2.439-mile (3.925-kilometer) road course in Speedway, Indiana tomorrow afternoon, and this weekend marks the first ever NASCAR/IndyCar doubleheader, with the Xfinity Series also set to race at the track tomorrow afternoon and the Cup Series set to race on the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) on Sunday afternoon.
But Johnson’s test, which was slated to be the first ever IndyCar test for the 44-year-old El Cajon, California, has been postponed after he tested positive for COVID-19, according to Chip Ganassi Racing.
.@JimmieJohnson's IndyCar test next week with Chip Ganassi Racing at IMS has been postponed, per the team. pic.twitter.com/KlG9jTFATC
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) July 3, 2020
More from IndyCar
- IndyCar: Two teams with no drivers confirmed for 2024
- IndyCar: Chip Ganassi Racing news hints Alex Palou announcement
- IndyCar: ‘Addition by subtraction’ could pay off in a big way
- Team Penske should make a bold driver signing for 2024
- IndyCar: 5 teams that still have open seats for 2024
This news does not come as much of a shock after it was confirmed that Johnson would miss this Sunday’s Cup Series race because of his positive COVID-19 test. He has never missed a race since his full-time Cup Series career began in 2002, but he is now out indefinitely.
JR Motorsports Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier is set to replace Johnson behind the wheel of the #48 Chevrolet in Sunday afternoon’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400. No driver other than Johnson has driven the #48 car since Trevor Boys drove the #48 Pontiac for Hylton Motorsports in one race during the 1993 season.
As for Johnson’s IndyCar aspirations, he has not been quiet about wanting to compete in IndyCar road course racing after he retires from full-time Cup Series competition following the 2020 season.
Next. Top 10 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark
He had been slated to make his first test driving a Chevrolet-powered car for Arrow McLaren SP at Barber Motorsports Park back on Monday, April 6, but that test had to be canceled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in general, so he has now seen two open-wheel tests fall through due to COVID-19.