Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No.84 Carvana Legacy Motor Club Toyota Camry XSE, says that driving the NEXT GEN car on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval feels different compared to the previous car. Johnson said it is still a stock car at Indy when speaking to Paddock Eye at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday ahead of the Brickyard 400.
Regarding lift points and corner entry points, they are similar, but he says with the new independent rear suspension, the driver sets the car up with ride heights; Johnson says that there is a different sensation back to throttle and out to the corner exit. The California native says that he had to learn to trust that there is a bit more movement in the car, and that he was just some unfamiliar little nuances that it took him a little while to trust.
Johnson felt that the team was competitive on the short runs and even more competitive on the longer runs. The one thing Johnson confirms has not changed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is that it is difficult to pass in a NASCAR.
The driver of the No.84 Carvana Toyota says that he was hopeful with the five-speed sequential gearbox and that gear selection would work in their favor, like the INDYCAR, where you had extra gear to help complete the pass. Still, Johnson confirmed to Paddock Eye that he could not see this during Friday’s practice.
Johnson said that he was bummed about that but that physics is physics, and it is just difficult to get around the big square of a race track that is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that doesn’t have a lot of banking.
Speaking to Paddock Eye about driving an INDYCAR and NASCAR vehicle around the Brickyard, Johnson said that they are different machines. During practice on Friday, he had some aha moments, but it was unrealistic for him to think that the sensations he felt in NASCAR were the same as those in INDYCAR.
Johnson is now a part owner in Legacy Motor Club, and speaking to Paddock Eye, he said that when he puts on his helmet and gets in the car, it is very clear where his focus needs to be.
Johnson explained that during his years of driving the No.48, he worked with his crew of 15 or 20 people. Still, now, as a team owner, it is his and upper management’s job to put the resources in place to help the team move forward, and he now has a better understanding of how much effort goes into that and how time-consuming and complex it is.
When discussing his and the team’s expectations for Sunday, Johnson said having three cars in the top 15 would be a stellar day and that the team’s goal is to win.
Johnson said that the team is just looking for consistency to be in the top 15 rather than the top ten, and they know that the results they want, like wins, will come.
Johnson rolls off from the 17th row on Sunday alongside Kyle Busch.