"He was fun to watch & I’m not even a NASCAR fan" - Fans react to Jimmie Johnson's retirement announcement

Jimmie Johnson is arguably the most widely recognized NASCAR Cup Series driver possibly after Dale Earnhardt Sr. He sent the motorsports world into a frenzy after announcing his retirement from driving full-time in all forms of motorsport. The seven-time Cup Series champion dominated the stock car racing scene during his time behind the wheel of one of Rick Hendrick's cars before retiring from NASCAR.

Since then, Johnson has tried to leave his mark on open-wheeled racing, a desire that arose within the 47-year-old after he swapped cars with F1 driver Fernando Alonso in 2018. Bitten by the bug of racing a high-downforce road-course oriented car, the El Cajon, California native tried to get into F1, only to realize it was too late to do the same.

Rebounding to a drive in the NTT IndyCar Series, Jimmie Johnson seems to have scratched that itch and now looks forward to spending more time with his family, along with ticking off items on his racing bucket list. As the former Hendrick Motorsports driver bows out of full-time racing driver duties, fans from all over the world have taken notice and congratulated him on his lifelong achievements in the sport.

Here are some of the reactions to Johnson's retirement news:

"I’m glad he came to INDYCAR. Love his enthusiasm & he was fun to watch & I’m not even a NASCAR fan. He’ll always be one of motorsport’s greatest, no matter his stats in open wheel. Thanks Jimmie!"

"Jimmie on ovals and Ricciardo in the same car on street/road courses. Seems like a good plan to me!"

"It's a good decision, he did the indy 500 like he wanted, but generally had bad results. The experiment ran it's course"

"Sorry to see you go, champ. Best of luck with whatever you choose to do next! Cheers, JJ!"

"It’s been awesome watching you @JimmieJohnson! Thanks for bringing us along for the ride!"

"The double?"

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Jimmie Johnson's future racing plans

Jimmie Johnson could be seen driving in a variety of different genres of motorsport next year after his official retirement from full-time Chip Ganassi Racing driver in the NTT IndyCar Series. Johnson is known to drive in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and loves to race in endurance formats, and could soon be seen in a sports car.

The flexibility of the 2023 schedule could also mean Jimmie Johnson could reunite with Hendrick Motorsports to drive the Garage 56 entry at Le Mans in France next year. Coveting titles such as Double Duty, which involves participating in the Coca-Cola 600 along with the Indy 500 in the same year, could also tempt Johnson, as he will have free will over his schedule from next year.

All-in-all, the world of motorsports has lost a gem from its crown today, as not many drivers can boast of seven Cup Series titles, as well as an IndyCar Series career.