Jimmie Johnson to Move from NASCAR to IndyCar; Would Team with Scott Dixon

NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson is making the move to IndyCar, joining Chip Ganassi Racing.

Both parties are working to finalize sponsorship for a two-year stint that will allow the seven-time NASCAR champion to run road and street course races, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

If the sponsorship goes through, Johnson will be teammates with five-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon.

Johnson, who has raced for Hendrick Motorsports throughout his 20-year career, announced he would retire from full-time racing in November.

IndyCar has not announced its schedule for next season, but Johnson said last month he wanted to run about 15 races in 2021, according to NBC Sports. Ganassi also fields two cars in NASCAR Cup Series events.

In a video posted to Twitter by Johnson, team owner Chip Ganassi said he knew Johnson wanted to drive for his team but "didn't realize he was serious about it."

"Our team couldn't be happier that Jimmie wants to be here with us, so we're looking forward to it," Ganassi added. 

Johnson, who will turn 45 on Sept. 17, tested an Indy car with his new team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. 

The move would bring together the most successful drivers in recent history. Johnson has a record seven NASCAR Cup victories (tied with Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt) and 83 race wins, tied for sixth in NASCAR. Dixon, who is Ganassi's longest-tenured driver at 19 years, earned his 50th career IndyCar race victory in August, which is third all-time behind A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti.

"To pair Jimmie with the likes of Scott Dixon is quite an opportunity. They are truly in rarified air, and I think everyone knows by now that I like winners," Chip Ganassi said, per AP. "The goal right now is for us to run Jimmie in an Indy car for at least the next couple of seasons, and we want to show people we're serious about the program. We felt it was important to get the partnership done and start putting the financial building blocks in place to make this a reality."