Advertisement

Jimmie Johnson embracing unfamiliarity in Cup Series return to Texas

Tadd Haislop
·4 min read
1

FORT WORTH, Texas — For all intents and purposes, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion might as well be a rookie this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson recognizes the scenery of the race track located about 20 miles north of downtown Fort Worth, from the entrance through the claustrophobic infield tunnel to the vast garage area. Images from his seven Cup Series wins at the 1.5-mile oval scattered around the facility prompt fond memories.

Just about every other factor is new for Johnson, who will make his second Cup Series start of the 2024 season in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

MORE: Best photos from Texas

He’s never raced the current generation of Cup cars at Texas. He’ll do so Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) when he runs the No. 84 Advent Health Toyota for Legacy Motor Club, the team he co-owns. He’s never raced a Toyota at a 1.5-mile oval, let alone a Next Gen Camry. Legacy last year announced its partnership with Toyota for 2024 and beyond after launching in 2021 as a Chevrolet team.

Perhaps most importantly, Johnson has never competed at Texas with the specific goals he and his team hope to accomplish.

“Of course I want to run as well as I can,” Johnson said Saturday. “I want to run all the laps, be able to help our company grow. Really work through this first quarter, first half of the season with our change at Toyota. There‘s just a lot of new things for us we‘re trying to get our arms around.

“We‘ve had some speed at times, but constantly having speed is a big objective for us right now. I hope my participation this weekend helps us take a step in that direction.”

He’ll need better fortune than what he found in his previous starts in the Next Gen car. The only comparison Johnson has for what he might experience at Texas is his 2023 run in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, another intermediate oval. He finished 37th after a crash on Lap 76.

Jimmie Johnson races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte.
Jimmie Johnson races in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte.

Johnson brought up that accident when asked about his level of comfort at Texas given the new variables.

“I found last year with the limited races I ran, it is really, really different,” Johnson said of the car compared to previous generations. “I think the first 80% is normal, maybe 90%. But that last little bit and where you run the car — I spent a lifetime running the car off the right-rear (tire). And this car, you just cannot do that. From the aero platform, the tire and, I believe, the side-wall stiffness of the tire. You can‘t slip and slide this car around like I like to do.

“It got me in trouble the last mile-and-a-half I was on in Charlotte — got out from under me, and I crashed. So I tell myself coming into this weekend that I need to drive it off the right front, drive through the right front, and not my typical style of driving through the right-rear tire.”

Unfortunately, a similar situation bit Johnson during Saturday’s practice. The No. 84 Toyota snapped loose on entry to Turn 1 midway through the session, sending the seven-time champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer sliding right-rear-first into the outside SAFER barrier. Johnson will start Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 from the rear.

“I felt like we did a nice job trying to get me ready in the simulator,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, I just got a little loose in Turn 1 — I caught it — but it is such a narrow lane, that once I caught the car I was in the wall, and I was kind of along with the ride then.”

The 48-year-old from El Cajon, California used to love racing at Texas with good reason beyond his victories, including three straight from 2014-15. He said Turns 1-2 in Texas’ previous configuration was the most fun he had on an intermediate track. He loved being able to “run line to wall” with bumps arriving in the most demanding spots.

Now Johnson appreciates Texas for different reasons. He still describes the track as “treacherous,” and he likes seeing the fact that the surface is widening out in that drivers are able to race multiple grooves.

He values the challenge Texas provides for his team as it seeks the consistent speed necessary to contend for a championship.

It’s a massive test for a driver who has plenty of those titles. After 690 Cup Series starts over 22 years, Johnson embraces the rare unfamiliarity.