Beyond the Flag
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NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson’s interesting IndyCar preparation

By Asher Fair

Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR, IndyCar (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR, IndyCar (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is getting prepared for the next chapter of his racing career in IndyCar. But how is he doing it?

We recently had the opportunity to speak with veteran NASCAR reporter Lindsay Czarniak about her new Sony Music Entertainment podcast The Artist and The Athlete, which launched earlier this week.

This podcast features dynamic conversations with some of the biggest names in sports and music, and of course, that includes the world of motorsport as well.

Alanis Morissette and Danica Patrick, Eddie Vedder and Anthony Rizzo, Brad Paisley and Clayton Kershaw, Kirk Franklin and Ray Lewis are among those involved in some of these conversations, and several more will be announced in the future.

Because of Czarniak’s passion for motorsports, there are several drivers, in addition to Patrick, involved as well.

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“We have Jimmie Johnson,” Czarniak told Beyond the Flag. “Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be one, and we are working on — yes, there will be active NASCAR drivers for sure. But at this point, I can’t say who that is, although I do have a good idea!”

Johnson, of course, retired from NASCAR Cup Series competition after the 2020 season, but he did not retire from racing.  He is slated to make the move to IndyCar this year and run the 13 road and street course races for Chip Ganassi Racing behind the wheel of the #48 Honda, with veteran Tony Kanaan behind the wheel of the car for the four oval races.

As a teaser to the Johnson episode, Czarniak gave us interesting insight to how the 45-year-old El Cajon, California native is getting ready for his new job, which he is officially slated to begin at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday, April 18 in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Presented by AmFirst.

“Jimmie Johnson’s episode of the podcast is really interesting because he’s getting ready to go into that deal that he’s got there [in IndyCar] with Ganassi,” she said. “He was talking about how he was racing with 13-year-olds and he was literally going to race tracks and trying to get ready and doing it that way!”

We’ll see if it pays off.

Next. Top 25 NASCAR drivers of all-time. dark

That episode of The Artist and The Athlete featured Johnson and the Avett Brothers, and it was released earlier this week. Don’t miss it; you can find the podcast at Apple Podcasts or wherever else you listen to podcasts to hear what Johnson had to say for himself!