NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson to Drive an IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Earlier on Monday, 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson announced his intention to test an Indy car. Now, the NASCAR veteran will partner with the Chip Ganassi Racing team to fulfill his Indy dreams.

NASCAR team owner Chip Ganassi reveals that Johnson’s IndyCar test is set to take place on July 8. After the NASCAR-Indy weekend at  Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 44-year old will head off to the Chip Ganassi garage to test the car.

According to a Chip Ganassi Racing spokesman, the team can only field Jimmie Johnson in one of its Dallara-Honda. This is because the IndyCar rules have allowed for driver evaluation tests.

What are the details of the Jimmie Johnson IndyCar test?

Admittedly, Johnson is set to compete in ‘The Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400’ at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This race will take place a day after the road course hosts the NTT IndyCar Series’ IndyCar GMR Grand Prix. Closely following that event will be the Pennzoil 150 Xfinity Series race at the famous Brickyard.

It is also noteworthy that Jimmie Johnson was about to test for the McLaren IndyCar team. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the team to postpone the pan indefinitely.

Back in the month of February, Johnson took part in a preseason IndyCar test in Austin, Texas. Later on, he paid a visit to the Arrow McLaren SP team factory for a seat-fitting. Without the coronavirus crisis, Johnson would have tested for the team in April at the Barber Motorsports Park.

With Johnson set to retire from NASCAR, he has expressed interest in racing in IndyCar. So, this test with Chip Ganassi Racing could be his first step into the IndyCar pond. Coming to the present though, Johnson had a disappointing run at the Pocono double-header where he ended the race in 21st and 16th place respectively.