Johnson will have the American Legion livery on his No. 48 Honda for the first time this season.
Jimmie Johnson will have The American Legion’s livery on his No. 48 Honda for the first time this season Sunday at Iowa Speedway.
Johnson will drive the No. 48 Carvana/American Legion Honda in Saturday’s HyVeeDeals.com 250. That race begins at 4 p.m. Eastern time and can be seen on NBC.
The next day, Chip Ganassi Racing will change the No. 48 to the American Legion colors for Johnson for the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 Presented by Google. That race can be seen on NBC beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
“Having two different sponsors in back-to-back days on the same weekend is a first for me,” Johnson said. “I’m very happy to have the primary scheme for the Legion. It’s a great weekend for the Legion, and I hope we can bring it home with a high finish.”
It will be a big weekend for Johnson, as he will have two new experiences this weekend at Iowa Speedway.
It’s the first time the Chip Ganassi Racing driver will compete in a race of any kind of the 0.894-mile short oval in Newton, Iowa. And, for the first time in his two-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES career, Johnson will compete in a double-header weekend.
Two races on back-to-back days in the brutal heat of Iowa in the middle of summer.
The 46-year-old Johnson can’t wait to get started.
“I’m excited about Iowa,” Johnson said. “When we tested there last month, I was really surprised at how busy of a lap on new tires when you change gears four times a lap. On older tires, you are changing gears six times a lap – three shifts down in each corner, and three up in each straightaway. Then moving bars and weight jackers all in 18 seconds, it’s busy in there.
“But the experience of driving, I was really happy to be there and felt like I knew what I was doing.”
Johnson competed in a NASCAR doubleheader at Pocono in 2020, his final season as a Cup Series driver. He finished 21st in the Saturday race and 16th in the Sunday race that year for Hendrick Motorsports.
This weekend will present a new challenge for the American Legion driver both mentally and physically.
“Physically, it’s a busy lap but I always love a physical challenge,” Johnson said. “Mentally, I think it’s helpful for me to that practice, have a race, sleep on it and try again the next day. I’m very excited about that.
“For myself, I will see more of an improvement from Race 1 to Race 2. For me, I think that should be a directionally correct and good.
“I hope I can take advantage of qualifying. It’s a qualifying format I have not experienced yet. I hope to qualify as well as I can. That will be a pivotal point in the first race for me in Race 1 for me. Track position is very important. It’s narrow and track position will be huge.”
Johnson’s race engineer is Eric Cowdin, and he is encouraged by the team’s test last June.
“At one point in the day, we were the quickest of the four Ganassi cars and that was encouraging,” Cowdin said. “He got up to speed fairly quickly and that was a big step in the right direction.
“As a group, we have some improvements to make. Having him in the mix with the other drivers, we can divide and conquer and that will be a big benefit to the program overall.”
On March 20 in his first race on an oval in an Indy car, Johnson started 18th and raced his way through the field for a sixth-place finish. He was in the top five until late in the race before his teammate, Scott Dixon, passed him for the top-five finish.
Johnson adapted quickly to the massive 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 106th Indianapolis 500. He was among the fastest drivers every day in practice and made the “Fast 12” in qualifications.
Race Day was a disappointment as he crashed late in the race and finished 28th.
But Johnson and the team arrive at Iowa with a rejuvenated sense of confidence at purpose as IndyCar returns to an oval for the first time since the Indy 500 on May 29.
Johnson understands the art form of oval racing in an Indy car.
“There are two things at play there,” Cowdin said. “He has to learn the car and the type of racing, but in my mind, he is racer out. He is one of the most experienced drivers out there in race situations, how to manage tires, when to push and when to lay back.
“That experience came through in Texas and I think it will come through at Iowa as well.”
Blair Julian is Johnson’s race strategist on the No. 48. Previously, he was Dixon’s crew chief and experienced 51 of Dixon’s 52 career IndyCar wins with that driver.
Julian knows what it will take for Johnson to increase his performance in the double-header in Iowa this weekend.
“He seems comfortable on those tracks and got up to speed at Iowa pretty quick,” Julian said. “He knows the whole program on the ovals. We’ll take a swing at it, try to build up to it and see what the race gives to us.”
Johnson won’t have long to show improvement from one race to the next
“I think that plays to his strengths a little bit,” Julian said. “He is strong in that regard in terms of race craft. Hopefully, he gains confidence in the first race and can show even more improvement the next day in Race 2.”
INDYCAR races are a great time to participate in The American Legion’s Buddy Check program. Call a fellow Legion member and head to the local American Legion post to watch the race on TV.
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