The seven-time NASCAR champion is retiring from full-time racing to spend more time with his family.
The 47-year-old had no idea what his future schedule would look like on Monday.
Johnson told The Associated Press that he was excited to announce that he had a blank sheet of paper and could now see what opportunities existed. Carvana told Johnson it would back any racing he pursued.
Johnson took two weeks from the finale to go to England with his teammates and make a decision about scaling back. He told the AP that he didn't need to think about his future much.
It has been an interesting process to feel fulfilled with the experience and then try to make a decision. There is a lot of planning going on with the children. We've always wanted to live overseas for a while. We love Colorado and want to spend more time there, and there's so much swirling personally and professionally that I just wanted to take some time and make the decision not on the basis of a positive or negative experience on the racetrack.
Johnson retired from NASCAR in 2020.
There is a city called Le Mans.
There would be a special "Garage 56" entry for the 24 Hours of LeMans. Even though there is an exhibition for the Next Gen and the car will be alone in its class, Johnson wants to be a part of the three-driver LeMans lineup.
He wanted to make sure his schedule was clear if NASCAR wanted him to be involved in the project.
There is an automobile race.
Johnson won't be coming back for a second full season with the team. He raced only the street and road courses in 2021, added the ovals to run the full season in 2022, and now isn't sure if he'll ever race in the open wheel series again.
We are in full support of him. He has been a valued member of the team and we would like to continue working with him.
Even though he crashed out of the Indianapolis 500, Johnson turned laps at over 200 mph in the Indianapolis 500 pole.
"I know what it takes to do a full schedule, but I don't have that in me," Johnson said. I can't commit myself to a full season because I don't have that passion.
It's a really big idea.
Since retiring from NASCAR in 2020, Johnson has said that he would race again in the series in the right opportunity, and is now considering doing the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Kurt Busch was the last driver to go. Busch was 200 miles away from completing it when his engine failed. Tony Stewart is the only driver who has completed all 1,100 miles. There were attempts before Busch.
Johnson has won the Coca-Cola 600 four times, including three in a row.
Johnson told the AP that the double sounds great. I respected the guys who did the double. I would like to put some energy into that idea and see if I can pull it off, as it is more of a respect thing than a bucket list item.
He is interested in the other NASCAR event. The inaugural race will take place in the downtown streets of Chicago. Johnson has an exemption into both the All-Star race and the exhibition season opener at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Is there anything else?
Johnson doesn't know what the future holds for sports car racing after this weekend. He's spent the past two seasons running the endurance races in a joint entry with Hendrick and Action Express but doesn't expect enough inventory next year when IMSA adopts new cars for Johnson's project to continue
He is curious about the World Endurance Championship and would consider racing in a lower IMSA category. He shares a love of international travel with his wife and two young daughters and is interested in the WEC Series because of it's exotic locations.
As a hands-on father, Johnson takes an active role in shuttling his daughters to and from their full schedule of sports and activities. Chani Johnson is an artist and is looking to expand her businesses.
hani supported me to the degree and at the same time pursued her career and objectives." Johnson told the AP that she was cautiously following through with the plan. "But these decisions are based around family needs and demands, and I think it gets tricky and a bit more complicated on my schedule if we can some traction on travel and living overseas."
In the next few months, those decisions will be made. I am going into this with no regrets. I learned a lot from what happened. I don't have a single regret or pit in my stomach.
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