Johnson’s lap times improved by nearly three seconds a lap during that test, but that still left him seventh of the seven drivers participating.
“To have all the resources, drivers, all four cars on the track to rubber it in, that was a good test,” Johnson said. “Barber, last fall, every car in the series was there and that was another great data point. Every lap counts right now.
“Even though I’m a 45-year-old rookie, being a rookie in today’s style of racing with less practice and restrictions, it’s tough to be a rookie, no matter what series you are in.
“I’m really just trying to understand how to slow the car down and maximize the car in the braking zones. My teammates have been great, working really well with me helping me get up to speed.
“I’m having a ton of fun.”
Johnson has had to learn a completely new cockpit environment from that of his familiar No. 48 stock car.
“There are many driver aids built into the car and the steering wheel,” Johnson explained. “On the IndyCar side, the steering wheel is very complex and the anti-roll bar adjustments are there and the brake bias, but the straightaways are so short at those speeds and the way the gearbox lays out on the straights, I’m so impressed how these guys can make quick adjustments, shift gears and not lose any lap time. That is something I will have to work on in an Indy car.
“The biggest thing is the amount of lap time created by the brakes in an Indy car or a sports car compared to a NASCAR vehicle. The brakes are really the weakest link on a NASCAR vehicle,” Johnson noted. “We won’t have a lot of downforce and you can make the brakes real hot, real fast. You create lap time exiting the turn in a NASCAR vehicle. With the lighter downforce on a NASCAR vehicle, on the straightaways the gains you make on power really multiply quickly. It’s more center of the corner out.”
There is also a dramatic difference between the low-downforce, high-horsepower NASCAR machine and the high-downforce, lightning-quick Indy car.
“The downforce world is the other way around,” Johnson continued. “The downforce cars hit terminal velocity very quickly so your opportunity to gain lap time on a straightaway is a much more condensed period of time. You hit a wall in terms of terminal velocity. The technique of applying the brakes, how to trail off them and throw the car into a turn is where the magic is.
“That is easier said than done. With data, you go out and apply what you think is taking place then you come in and look at the data and realize you aren’t quite there. You go through that process, make the senses and feelings of the car match what the data is showing with the more experienced drivers.
“I’ve closed the gap a considerable amount on the IndyCar side,” Johnson added. “I’m still not where I want to be, but I think I’m on target for my progress on the limited days I’ve had in the Indy car. I’ve been in an F-3 car quite a bit and that has been helpful. My senses are in-tune trying to figure out how to exploit the most out of each car. It’s something I’ve been learning. Each car is quite a bit different.”
Few champions have been able to move from one racing discipline to another with success. Tony Stewart is the only driver to win an IndyCar Series title (1997) and a NASCAR Cup Series championship (2002, ’05 and ’11).
Johnson wants to keep his expectations realistic.
“I’m definitely excited,” he said. “With that excitement comes some anxiety as well. I’m jumping into the deep end of the pool. When I’m in the Indy car, just how special the technique is in those cars and the amount of aggression it takes to drive those cars.”
Johnson is relishing his chance to learn a new trade, while essentially learning his way again.
“Someday, I won’t have that opportunity, but I’m not ready to walk away from that now and I really do like being uncomfortable in how it makes me feel and how it holds me accountable.
“I’ve jumped into the deep end of the pool with weights around my ankles here for ’21 and ’22, but it just makes me feel more alive than I have in quite some time.”
Spoken like a true racer. n