IndyCar: 3 tracks where Jimmie Johnson could make his debut
By Asher Fair
Jimmie Johnson IndyCar debut: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
While Jimmie Johnson’s second planned IndyCar testing debut had to be put off, he did finally end up testing, and he did so at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. There is a very good chance that he will drive there again in an actual event.
The race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 9, but it had to be postponed as a result of the pandemic.
As a result, the race around the 13-turn, 2.439-mile (3.925-kilometer) natural terrain road course in Speedway, Indiana was moved to Independence Day weekend. It took place Saturday, July 4.
What else took place at this venue that weekend? The Brickyard 400, the NASCAR Cup Series race at the track’s four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval.
Johnson was set to be on hand anyway, and he acknowledged that this could provide him with the perfect opportunity to make his debut at the highest level of American open-wheel racing. While that did not happen, the series is set to re-visit the track again on Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3 for second and third races at the venue.
This is probably his only chance to make his IndyCar debut before 2021, but that also carries with it the hurdle of getting approval from several parties tied to his status as a full-time NASCAR driver, most notably Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick. While Johnson is not in championship contention, there is still a Cup Series race that weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Hendrick has shot down past deals involving his drivers competing in other racing series, so even if Johnson wants to compete in this race, he may very well not be able to do so.
The track is set to host a race in May of 2021 as well, which is the far more likely option.