Jimmie Johnson is in the midst of his second season in IndyCar, and he is beginning to understand how to feel each piece of the open wheel car around him.
Coming from a stock car background, Johnson was not accustomed to being able to pinpoint problems with each component of the car. The weight, size, and general design of a stock car puts drivers a literal arms-length away from most of the critical parts of the car.
The design of an open wheel car, on the other hand, is much more direct. The driver is placed directly in front of the engine and an inch above the pavement, resulting in many drivers being able to ‘feel’ the car in ways not possible in other motorsports.
Open wheel cars are also more sensitive than stock cars, meaning any parameter that is out of the optimal zone can result in a dramatic fall in performance.
Through training and experience, Johnson is now understanding how to interpret all the forces being fed into his body, and is using that information to better manage his tires, brakes, and other components individually.
Speaking to MotorsportWeek.com, the seven-time NASCAR champion described how he has a whole new set of information to process now that he knows what to look for.
“I can [feel each part of the car],” said Johnson with a smile. “It’s wild. I follow all forms of motorsport, and I’ve heard Formula 1 and IndyCar guys talk about this. I’m like ‘It’s not that way in a [NASCAR] Cup car. I don’t get it.’ I believe it, but I don’t know what that feels like. But after a year of doing it, I totally get it.
“IndyCar really rewards a confident driver. The way you turn the tires on to make them work, the way you utilize the downforce, the way you utilize the brakes.
“We talk about a spiral. Once you lose confidence, there’s this downward spiral that affects braking, affects tire performance. You just end up ‘off.’
“From my Sebring test to my sim prep, definitely a marked improvement. Confidence, lap time, delta to my team-mates… We’re definitely in a much stronger position.”
Johnson was buoyed by his new ability to wrangle his single seat #48 machine, and is hopeful it can lead to real improvement on track.
He also was confident that his knowledge of the tracks on the schedule will give him even more pace, and that will combine with his experience in the car to produce results in the top half of the field soon.
“Having a year under my belt is helpful,” continued Johnson. “Clearly from a track perspective, a team perspective, I now have a foundation to build off of.
“There’s a lot of stress removed, where last year I had to worry about everything and this year I’m worried about much less.
“First goal is I need to qualify better. I think qualifying is my gateway to a mid-pack finish. Better qualifying performance, then first and foremost getting in the top-15. I think when I’m more regularly in the top-15, I can start looking for a top-10.”
Johnson finished in 23rd in the season-opener from St. Petersburg, but he was only one lap down and his qualifying time was nearly one second quicker over last year.
Anticipation is high for Johnson’s next race at Texas Motor Speedway, where he will combine his oval experience with an open wheel car for the first time.
