Jimmie Johnson provides the behind the scenes explanation for leaving his full-time IndyCar career.
– particularly his first season, where absolutely nothing was expected of him, everything was new and every minuscule achievement was a bonus for a driver who had long passed a point in his career where he had anything to prove to anyone. The race weekends were about the experience, not the results.Dario Franchitti on Jimmie Johnson's move to IndyCar: 'This isn’t some vanity project'
"I kept telling Ricky Carmichael, ‘Man, it’s a five-year journey.’ It took me five years from off-road to stock cars before I felt in my heart that I had it right," Johnson said."And right about that fourth year of Ricky trying stock cars in the Trucks series, he told me, ‘Man, you’re right.’ I’ve had this conversation with Juan , Danica , Dario – I don’t think it matters. It’s a five-year journey to really feel like you ‘get it,’ week in and week out.
"What was really frustrating was qualifying," he said simply."I really didn’t have an uptick in performance from Year 1 to 2. I did improve, if you look at lap times at tracks, but unfortunately, the whole field improved as well. I never got qualifying figured out. The format in practice and how you use tires, it was tough for me to draw any conclusions and build any positive patterns to lead to better results.
But as Johnson wrestled with those thoughts, he realized he was beginning to stray from his original purpose.