IndyCar: Jimmie Johnson eyeing 2022 Indy 500?

Jimmie Johnson made a change in his career when he jumped from NASCAR to IndyCar, and now he has more IndyCar goals in mind, including the Indy 500.

NASCAR Cup Series legend Jimmie Johnson decided to swap out his ride in stock cars for a ride in open-wheel cars after last year, signing a two-year contract with Chip Ganassi Racing to run part-time for Chip Ganassi’s IndyCar team.

Johnson signed on to only race in road and street course races, with IndyCar legend Tony Kanaan filling in for the 45-year-old El Cajon, California native in the oval races.

Johnson has said in the past that he would not run IndyCar on ovals, specifically after Dan Wheldon’s fatal crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in October 2011. He stated that “those cars are fantastic for street courses and road courses.”

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Johnson so far has stuck to his word by running only on road and street courses, similar to fellow IndyCar rookie and former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean.

In running the road and street courses, Johnson has had an up and down year, currently sitting in 28th place in the championship standings. His best finish is a 19th place effort in his series debut at Barber Motorsports Park.

But despite his pledge to not run ovals, Johnson may change his mind for IndyCar’s biggest race of their season.

Johnson intends to make his first oval test at Homestead-Miami Speedway next month. Ironically enough, Grosjean has also recently branched out to testing on ovals, having tested at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway earlier this week. Johnson texted Grosjean, asking for tips when it comes to running an IndyCar on an oval.

The seven-time Cup Series champion added that he’s trying to find his comfort with ovals. He hopes that his test goes well, as he aims to “work closer toward the Indy 500 or ovals in general”.

Additionally, Johnson noted that he believes there should be some crossover on ovals as it pertains to his switch from NASCAR to IndyCar. He has found none on the road courses thus far.

If there is any crossover on the ovals, the Indy 500 would be the oval race for Johnson to try. Not only is it the biggest race of the season, but Johnson had success at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the NASCAR side, winning the Brickyard 400 four times throughout his Cup Series career.

There are vast differences between a stock car and an open-wheel car, but Johnson knows this. So with his change of heart regarding racing on ovals, he is already looking at goals that extend beyond his rookie season as he continues to try to improve.