Jimmie Johnson finished the Iowa 2 GP in fifth position, his best Indy result since joining the category in 2021, and believes he is improving on all types of circuits
Jimmie Johnson got the best result of his career at Indy last Sunday (24) in Iowa. Starting in 13th position, the seven-time Nascar champion climbed the field to finish the race in fifth position. His first top-5 finish came precisely on an oval, an environment much better known to the veteran.
"It's a very special day for me and for everyone who has been on this journey with me at Indy. I needed the ovals to get the best result of my career, but I'm happy I got it here. It was a fun race," Jimmie said right after the Iowa 2 GP.
Johnson spun early in the first race in Iowa on Saturday (23), but still finished in a good 11th position. The Ganassi driver said that he does feel more confident on oval tracks, but believes he is constantly improving on mixed circuits and street circuits as well.
"I'm understanding how these cars reward aggressiveness, the confidence that it takes for the car to have grip. The faster you go, the more downforce you have. It takes a lot of energy to turn on those tires and make them work the way they need to. The ovals feel more natural to me and I'm able to find more confidence, force the car, have the downforce and make the tires work," explained the American.
"But on the mixed circuits and street circuits, I'm getting better. Unfortunately, they are not as obvious as what you can see here on the ovals. But I keep getting better. I'm enjoying driving these little rockets around. It's a lot of fun. Every time I get out of the car, I'm impressed with how strong you can drive these cars, the speed you can carry, the aggression you can have. These are really fun cars to drive," praised Johnson.
In the final laps of the second race on the oval, Jimmie battled with Marcus Ericsson, his teammate and current IndyCar Series leader. The 46-year-old veteran said he studied the Swede's lines extensively before making the maneuver that gave him fifth position, and revealed that Iowa gave him the most Nascar-like experience since he started driving in Indy last year.
"On an oval you have that repetition, you get into a cadence of watching the driver in front, understanding if he is inconsistent or if his car is inconsistent, analyzing the circumstances and how you can have an advantage," Johnson said.
"You build a cadence and a rhythm in relation to who you're chasing. I realized that's very common here. Not so much in Indianapolis. At Texas it didn't seem that way either. You are going so fast that getting the timing of the maneuver right was more important than chasing someone and thinking about different lines. So this was the closest experience I've had in NASCAR," concluded the Ganassi driver.
Johnson is back on track next Sunday (31st) for the Indianapolis GP 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway mixed circuit.