The Carvana-backed #48 Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda driver has been very impressive in race during in the two practice days for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, finishing Tuesday in third and Thursday in fifth. He said too that he’s been learning “a ton” after turning more laps than anyone on both Tuesday afternoon and across the six hours of Thursday practice.
“The first lesson that I was reminded of is just because you had a good setup on Tuesday doesn't mean you're going to have a good setup on Thursday. This track [is] very temperamental, and you've just got to be on top of it. You can't put your guard down. Things change, and I'm trying to understand why there was a difference, because obviously on race day, you don't get a practice session beforehand to see where your balance is.”
He continued: “Every lap is just a great learning opportunity for myself. Today we ran two full tire runs or ran it out of fuel just to let me feel what it was like to go from start to finish. Just logging those laps and being in the draft… Some guys will come out on new tires, some guys will run old tires. Just getting a feel for all of it.
“I feel like today I kind of broke through to a new level of comfort in race trim.”
However, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Johnson and fellow rookie Kyle Kirkwood admitted that trimming out and having the BorgWarner turbos creating 1.5-bar boost for Fast Friday and qualifying weekend, rather than the 1.3-bar used in ‘regular’ practice and the race, could generate more intimidation. In addition, the weather forecast suggests there will be major gusts of winds – perhaps up to 30mph – on Friday.
Reigning Indy Lights champion Kirkwood admitted that the prospect was a “little bit intimidating… pulling out the downforce and feeling how light the car is there.
“It's kind of like you don't really want to turn the wheel because you're just unsure what the car is going to do, and adding another 10 or 15 miles per hour to it is going to be less than comfortable, I would have to say!
“From the people that I've talked to they all say it's not that big of a step. It actually feels better because you get the runs out of the corners and it's not like you lose tons of grip due to the speed. I guess I'll let you know after I go through Turn 1 the first time with more power.”
A listening Johnson commented, “Yeah, all of that, and then the only thing to add is the last time I was in qualifying trim here was in a Cup car, and we let off and used little brake to get into Turn 1.
“So to feel the boost and the straightaway speed and look down at that 90-degree turn and think that I'll hold it flat – it's going to be an interesting conversation with my right foot!”
Asked what advice team owner Chip Ganassi – who started the Indy 500 five times, qualifying 11th in his rookie year – had provided him, Johnson said: “Chip has just been really adamant about knowing where the right rear tire is. In a Cup car I feel like the advantage I had for so many years is I was willing to drive the car really loose, and it really benefitted the style of racing and the way the fuel burns off of those cars and protect the right front tire.
“Here you certainly need to have the car turning well, but you cannot slide it around like you do a Cup car. The advice Chip has given me and Dario [Franchitti] keeps hammering on me is “just know where that right rear is.”
