NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson Having a ‘Ton of Fun’ IMSA Testing at Daytona

From Autoweek

• Johnson will make his second start in IMSA’s Rolex 24 next weekend

• The 7-time Cup champion is part of a star-studded lineup

• He’s also surrounded by some very familiar faces

NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson has entered somewhat uncharted territory. For the first time since the dawn of the 21st Century the now former fulltime Cup driver isn’t getting ready for a new season. At least not in NASCAR.

Johnson completed his final season as a full time Cup driver last November and entered his first offseason without having to worry about racing 36 Cup races in 2021 and battling for a championship. Instead, his focus turns to a new chapter in his life and racing career. The 45-year-old is preparing for new races, in different cars, and on different tracks. He will race in the IndyCar series on road courses for Chip Ganassi Racing this season.

Before that however, Johnson has another task at hand.

For only the second time in his long career, Johnson will be racing in the IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. His last run came 10 years ago when he raced in the Grand Am DP class. This year sees him in the No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPI VR with a star-studded lineup of co-drivers Simon Pagenaud, Mike Rockefeller and Kamui Kobayashi. Johnson took his first laps in the car around Daytona’s road course Friday as the series tests in preparation for next week’s race.

“I feel like we’re in a really good place, extremely well-prepared from the mechanical side and from the car side,” Johnson said. “We’re right where we need to be. But things have changed quite a bit since I have been down here for this test session. The biggest thing is the lack of track time. Before we’d come down and run for hours and hours and hours and the drivers could rotate through and really get comfortable with the car and understand and really go to work on ourselves, and how to drive the car.

“This is far different; Kamui’s only been in the car once so far. I’m probably the one with the least amount of experience so I’m getting more reps in the car at this point just to try to help with my comfort and confidence in the car. I’m out there having a ton of fun, but certainly trying to make each lap count because they are so limited in trying to get to learn as much as I can personally out there.”

While the cars and the racing might be different than what he’s used to, Johnson does have familiar faces on the team. Mainly Chad Knaus, the crew chief Johnson won seven Cup titles with. Knaus is at Daytona for this weekend’s test session and will be here for the Rolex 24 next weekend.