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Driver Jimmie Johnson has announced that the will not compete full time in the IndyCar Series next season.

“This was a difficult choice for me, but in my heart, I know it’s the right one,” Johnson said in a press release.

Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. After retiring from that series, he moved to open-wheel Indy cars and competed on a part-time basis in 2021 for Chip Ganassi Racing.

In 2022, he drove the complete schedule in the No. 48 car. His best finish was fifth at Iowa Speedway. He finished sixth at Texas Motor Speedway.

“I’m not exactly sure what the next chapter holds but if an opportunity comes along that makes sense, I will consider it,” Johnson, 46, said. “I still have a bucket list of racing events I would like to take part in. Competing at this level in INDYCAR has been such a great experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to race for than Chip Ganassi and Chip Ganassi Racing. Everyone worked extremely hard for the last two seasons, pushing to get the best performances out of me every single week. The support from my crew and teammates Dario (Franchitti), Scott (Dixon), Tony (Kanaan), Marcus (Ericsson) and Alex (Palou) went above and beyond anything I could have ever asked for.

Team owner Chip Ganassi said he supports Johnson’s decision.

“We are fully supportive of Jimmie. He has been a valued member of our team and if we can find a way to continue working together, we would like to do so,” Ganassi said.

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