Jimmie Johnson probably knows Dover more than any other NASCAR driver. The 7x Cup champion has 11 victories on this circuit, the most in history. But even someone as successful as Johnson on this circuit, I had difficulties during the recent Cup race. And the reason was aerodynamic blocking.
The concept of airlocking is not new in NASCAR. However, it has become a hot topic lately with drivers such as Kyle Busch demanding to get rid of rearview cameras so that drivers don’t rely on aero locking to defend a position.
Recently, Johnson’s comments on the matter were also revealed in a video in which he recounted his experience of the race, what he expected and what happened.
“I was trying to get through #99. I was hoping I could get up to him in the center of the corner and pin him out of the way or get some air to move him and I didn’t get on his butt, but I felt like I was close enough to cars from previous generations that would have done something.
“It (the Next Gen car) didn’t do anything. Then when he cut the flow at the second apex and I was behind him, it was just a loss of downforce, quite balanced. I lost the four and I used more route than I expected coming out,” Johnson said in a video shared by Alex Cavanna.
Next Gen car is not suited to Jimmie Johnson’s driving style
During his full-time career in NASCAR’s elite, Jimmie Johnson raced and mastered many generations of race cars. But when it comes to the Next Gen car, Johnson is struggling. Yes, he is no longer a full-time employee.
But Johnson’s struggles taming the race car have more to do with the way the car is. According to the Legacy Motor Club co-owner, the Next Gen car is not suited to his driving style.
“I think the first 80 percent is normal, maybe 90 percent. But that last little bit and where you drive the car – I spent my life driving a car from the right rear. With this car, you just can’t do that. From the aerodynamic platform, the tire and I believe the stiffness of the sidewalls of the tire, you can’t slip and slide this car like I like to do.” Johnson said earlier this year according to Motorsport.
In the future, it will be interesting to see how this situation develops. One being how NASCAR handles aerodynamic lockup and the other being how Jimmie Johnson performs as a driver in the Next Gen car.