The Seven-Time Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson had some unfortunate news, as he announced his retirement from full-time racing. Sadly, we wouldn’t see the future Hall of Famer in the track all season. However, his former teammate, Chase Elliott has some great news for him.

Johnson might have his plans sorted!

The former NASCAR Cup Series Champion and IndyCar driver announced his retirement yesterday. But there was some great news from the 2020 Cup Series Champion. Now, the most plausible explanation for Johnson‘s future is he could very well be Mr. H’s first choice for a driver to head to Le Mans.

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Now, for those who don’t know, NASCAR announced that Hendrick Motorsports will take a next-gen cup car 24 hours of Le Mans race. And the first guess for a driver to steer the car is the seven-time Cup Series Champion. However, there was always a question mark around Chase Elliott. Because he could very well be the one driving the car, too. Obviously, he has more experience in the next-gen car. Moreover, he is one of the fastest drivers on a road course.

However, Elliott answered the question himself.

He said, “I mean personally, if we were being honest, no I don’t have any interest in it, and the reason being is because there’s no competition in the class. Like I want to go compete and that’s the part that I enjoy is seeing where you stack up against other competitors you know and where I need to do better and challenging myself and pushing myself.”

While this is unfortunate for fans of Elliott, it sure does open the door for Jimmie to take the wheel! Could he really be the one steering the first-ever stock car in a Le Mans race.

But why did he retire?

Jimmie Johnson retired because he lost passion for racing

Of course, at one point all our favorite drivers need to retire. And the same is for the seven-time Cup Series Champion. He gave two big reasons for quitting.

The first is just spending time with family, “In the big scheme of things, there is so much life-planning going on with the kids. We’ve always had the idea of trying to live abroad for a year or two. We love Colorado and want to spend more time there, and there’s just so much swirling personally and professionally that I just wanted to take some time and make the decision, not on the back of a positive or negative experience on the racetrack.”

Unfortunately, the driver said he has also lost the passion for racing, “I do have a desire to go back, it’s just at this point, I know what’s required to do a full schedule, and I don’t have that in me,” Johnson told AP. “I don’t have that passion that I need for myself to commit myself to a full season.”

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It feels like the end of an era. But we wish a happy future to the driver. Hopefully, we see him on the track again during the Le Mans race!