Jimmie Johnson's call to quit NASCAR 'not a retirement from racing'
Jimmie Johnson will not retire from racing when he leaves the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the 2020 season, although he has ruled out an IndyCar switch

The seven-time Cup Series champion, who has 83 wins to his name, announced on Wednesday he will leave the #48 Hendrick Motorsports squad at the end of next season.
Johnson started his Cup Series career in 2001 with the same team, and has only competed in select sportscar outings, including the Daytona 24 Hours, away from his Cup commitments.
He has driven other machinery, most recently in a car swap with Fernando Alonso last year in which he drove a 2013 McLaren MP4-28.
Despite confirming his NASCAR retirement would not be the end of his racing career, 44-year-old Johnson said he has not thought about other categories since the announcement.
"This is not a retirement from driving race cars," Johnson said.
"This is slowing down from 38 weekends a year and you certainly know the stress and pressure, that grind that it takes."
He added: "I would come back and drive Cup cars for Rick [Hendrick], without a doubt, all options are open, honestly, except IndyCar and fast ovals."
Johnson said he has not been in touch with any teams in any other categories and, when asked if he favoured any category above another, replied: "No, nothing now. I haven't even thought about it."

With one year left of Cup competition, Johnson said his focus was on ending his winless streak, which stretches over two years, and reaching the final four of next year's championship.
"If you're in that championship four, at Phoenix now, you've got a shot," he said. "And that is absolutely the goal for next year.
"I have the fire. Our team is getting stronger.
"I think Hendrick Motorsports as a whole; we've had a great evolution through the course of 2019.
"We have some new things coming our way for 2020. And just pulling back and looking at the opportunity this company has in 2020, and then myself, with it being my final full-time year, that's a special opportunity."
Johnson insisted his winless streak had not played a part in his decision to retire, adding: "Truthfully, it had very little implication on me making this decision."

Jimmie Johnson will retire from the NASCAR Cup Series at end of 2020
Phoenix test offers closer look at NASCAR Cup's Gen-7 car for 2021

Latest news
Why Vasseur isn't wielding the axe on Ferrari's F1 strategy team
As Ferrari reflected on the lost opportunities of the 2022 Formula 1 season, it did not take a genius to understand that strategy had been one of its core weaknesses.
Winward Mercedes replaces injured Auer with Morad for Daytona 24
Lucas Auer will sit out the Daytona 24 Hours after suffering back injuries in practice and will be replaced by GT4 racer Daniel Morad at Winward Mercedes.
The big question concerning IMSA's new LMDh cars on their debut
The new LMDh era finally begins in earnest this weekend with the IMSA SportsCar Championship curtain-raiser at Daytona. The prospect of multiple marques going all guns blazing for victory over 24 hours is a salivating one for fans of sportscar racing, but what are the chances of the new hybrid machines (known as GTP cars Stateside) proving reliable enough to win on debut?
WRC developing experimental propulsion class
The World Rally Championship is developing a new demonstration class that will allow manufacturers and teams to develop and experiment with alternative propulsion methods.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.