Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson discusses adjusting to the Next Gen racer and how that will affect his driving style at Texas.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00No, I found last year with the limited races I ran, it is really, really different.
00:08I think the first 80% is normal, but maybe 90%, but that last little bit and where you
00:15run the car, and I spent a lifetime running a car off the right rear, and this car, you
00:21just cannot do that.
00:22From the aero platform, the tire, and I believe the sidewall stiffness of the tire, you can't
00:30slip and slide this car around like I like to do, and it got me in Charlotte.
00:35The last mile and a half I was on in Charlotte, got out from under me and I crashed.
00:39So I keep telling myself coming into this weekend that I need to drive it off the right
00:43front.
00:44I need to drive it through the right front and not my typical style of driving on or
00:48through the right rear tire.
00:50So this track is very treacherous, and it's nice to see it widening out.
00:54I think last night with the truck race, I had some reports back to how the second groove
00:58was coming in, and hopefully we're on the right pathway now to really start working
01:03in the middle of the track and can widen this place out and just go have some fun.
01:09I of course want to run as well as I can.
01:12I want to run all the laps and I want to be able to help our company grow and really work
01:17through this first quarter, first half of the season with our change to Toyota.
01:21There's just a lot of new things for us that we're trying to get our arms around and trying
01:25to, you know, we've had some speed at times, but consistently having the speed is a big
01:31objective for us right now, and I hope that my participation this weekend helps us take
01:35a step in that direction.