Why is Jimmie Johnson testing an IndyCar in Texas?
Jack NicoleAugust 30, 2021
Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images
Jimmie Johnson will test for his Chip Ganassi IndyCar team at Texas Motor Speedway. But why would a NASCAR legend do this, and what would the result be?
Johnson makes first test on oval
This may seem a little strange, since Johnson has raced 686 times in NASCAR.
Along the way, he has 83 victories and a record 7 cup wins.
He chose to retire from stock racing at the end of 2020 and switched the code to IndyCar.
The Californians opted for Chip Ganassi Racing’s road and street classes.
He thought it was too risky for him to race IndyCar on the oval as a rookie.
However, he didn’t completely close the door to a potential oval race — including at the Indianapolis 500.
He needs to have complete confidence in the safety of the IndyCar on the oval track – aeroscreen cockpit protectors help to do that.
Johnson will take the CGR test in Texas on Monday, Aug. 30.
For the 2021 season, Machine 48 has been entrusted to Tony Canan, while Johnson is in charge of road/street racing.
Kaanan’s best finish in the Indy 500 was 10th.
Johnson has two 19th-place finishes, making his debut at the Barbers in the season opener and most recently at the Indianapolis road race.
How is Jimmie Johnson doing in NASCAR, Texas?
During his long NASCAR career, Johnson raced the Texas Oval 35 times for Hendrick Motorsports.
At the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet, he has seven victories — including two sweeps on the track in 2015.
How about an IndyCar rookie on the oval?
The other two rookies for the 2021 IndyCar season (excluding one-time appearances) are Scott McLaughlin and Romain Grosjean.
McLaughlin, the three-time Australian supercar champion, switched to IndyCar for Team Ske.
The New Zealander will be on a full-time course this year, taking part in all 16 races.
Now that all Oval races are done in 2021, McLaughlin’s best finish is a second-place finish in the first Texas race.
That was his oval debut, second only to Scott Dixon of Ganassi.
Grosjean felt similar to Johnson because he didn’t want to run the elliptical without experience.
The former Formula 1 driver recently completed a test at the Gateway before taking part in the final oval race at the same venue in 2021.
Grosjean looked lively at the Gateway, overtaking multiple cars to finish 14th.
Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images
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Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious outlets such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
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