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The term "retirement," as it pertained to the end of Jimmie Johnson's career in NASCAR, was a bit of a misnomer. Rather than stepping out of a racecar for good at the end of the 2022 season, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion instead moved from racing stock cars to trying his hand at open-wheel racing.

And after a limited schedule in 2021, Johnson will become a full-fledged IndyCar competitor and compete in their biggest race of all.

On Wednesday, Jimmie Johnson announced during an appearance on "Today" that he will run the full 2022 season in the NTT IndyCar Series, competing in all 17 races -- including his very first Indianapolis 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing. Carvana will serve as Johnson's sponsor for 16 races and American Legion will sponsor one.

Johnson admitted that he felt compelled to race the 500 after serving as part of the broadcast team for the 2021 edition of the race. After over two decades in NASCAR, 2021 marked the very first time that Johnson had ever attended the Indianapolis 500 in any capacity.

"That moment being part of the broadcast really cemented my desire to be in the 500," Johnson said. "It was my first time attending the race, and I had massive FOMO in watching the event take place. Following that there were many steps to work through. ... The two oval test sessions that I competed in really helped me get to the place where I am today, and I'm ready to go."

News of Johnson competing in the Indianapolis 500 was not unexpected, as he had participated in a rookie test session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in October and completed the speedway's orientation program. Johnson competed exclusively on road and street courses during his first IndyCar season, and had previously expressed his opinion that IndyCar should not race on ovals after a 2011 crash that killed two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.

However, Johnson tested an IndyCar at Texas Motor Speedway in August and was pleased with the results.

After making the jump from NASCAR to IndyCar at age 45, Johnson competed in 12 of 16 IndyCar races in 2021 with very modest results, but ended the season with his arrow pointing upward: Johnson finished a career-best 17th in the final two races of the year at Laguna Seca and Long Beach.