The silly season rolls on and conversations surrounding the future of Chip Gannassi Racing driver Jimmie Johnson and the 48 car have reached fever pitch.
In a media session before the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, the 7-time NASCAR Cup series champion responded to a question poised by Indy Star’s Nathan Brown, regarding whether he would run a full or partial season in 2023.
“We’re just still working to put our program together.” Johnson said. “Wish I had some updates, I like to get things done pretty early in the season. In my mind I’ve been looking towards a full season, certainly that is still the objective at this point.”
Johnson has struggled to find success in the series since his debut last year, most notably on the road and street courses that dominate the IndyCar calendar. The 2021 season saw Johnson run a partial schedule of only road and street courses, where he failed to finish higher than 17th and ended 21st in the championship standings.
This season, Johnson has run a full schedule in his second year in the series. His performance continues to suffer on road and street circuits, often finding himself near the back of the grid and frequently involved in incidents, both on his own and with other drivers.
But Johnson has found success when he returned to his NASCAR roots on the ovals, finishing sixth on his first IndyCar oval attempt at Texas earlier in the year. Johnson also had a respectable performance at the Indy 500, qualifying 12th, but he ended up crashing out of the race on lap 194 while running 24th. He still brought home an, albeit controversial, Indy 500 Rookie of the Year award over a tough crop of rookie drivers including David Malukas. Who took his Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsport #18 machine to 16th position and highest finishing rookie in his first 500 outing.
Johnson finished 12th and followed that up with a career best 5th in the Iowa doubleheader weekend this year and impressed the field with his command of the high lane and strong overtaking prowess. These results, when compared to his lackluster road and street performances, as well as comments the driver has made about his busy schedule, have fueled speculation that the NASCAR legend would elect to run only ovals in the future.
With the other contract disputes that plague the Gannassi team, it may be a while before we learn what the future holds for Johnson and the 48 car, but other factors are at play. Carvana, the #48 cars main sponsor, has found themselves in legal and financial trouble over the past few months and these issues leave their future as a highly active sponsor in the sport uncertain.
Jimmie Johnson’s time in IndyCar, while not the most groundbreaking in terms of results, has seen him becomes one of the most popular drivers on the grid with both fans and drivers alike. He has helped bridge the gap between NASCAR and IndyCar fan bases and has undoubtedly helped grow the sport in a positive direction.
