Johnson, who unveiled his Carvana livery on NBC’s Today show on Wednesday morning, spent his rookie season competing in the 12 road and street courses on the 2021 schedule.
But the NASCAR ace tested on the oval at Texas Motor Speedway and completed the IndyCar Rookie Orientation Programme at Indianapolis Motor Speedway shortly after the season concluded.
The 46-year-old’s best results of his rookie IndyCar season came in his final two outings of the year, when he picked up a pair of 17th-place finishes at Laguna Seca and Long Beach, although he failed to qualify inside the top 20 for any of his appearances.
“I’m really excited about this next chapter of my career and competing in the #48 with Carvana for the 2022 season,” said Johnson.
“The safety of these cars has come so far and, after I tested the ovals at Texas and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I realised this was a challenge I wanted to undertake.
“I’m thankful for Chip, Carvana and all who made this possible. Last season was so incredible for me and I made a lot of progress, so I know I can be competitive on tracks that I have experience on.
“I can’t wait to be part of the Indianapolis 500. It’s a childhood dream come true.”
Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Photo by: Art Fleischmann
Carvana will be primary sponsor on the #48 for 16 of the 17 races, with The American Legion colours taking precedence for one race in Iowa’s double-header in July.
Chip Ganassi, who saw Alex Palou clinch the team’s 14th IndyCar title in September, said: “We are very happy about Jimmie running the whole 2022 season and that Carvana will be on nearly all of those races.
“I am looking forward to seeing Jimmie get back on the track after having a year under his belt.
“With all the experience he has on ovals from his NASCAR career and adding it to his 2021 experience in an Indycar, we think the IndyCar ovals will play right into his strength. I can’t wait for the 2022 season to begin.”