Four-time Brickyard 400 winner Jimmie Johnson headlines a group of one dozen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers scheduled to take part in a two-day organizational test Tuesday and Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The legendary 2.5-mile track will host the Crown Royal presents the Wounded Warrior Coalition 400 at the Brickyard NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, July 24.
Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, captured Indy victories in 2006, ’08, ’09 and ’12. Also among the 12 drivers testing are 2003 Brickyard champ Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet) and 2011 winner Paul Menard (Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet).
Rounding out the list of drivers participating are Joey Logano (Team Penske No. 22 Ford), Brian Scott (Richard Petty Motorsports No. 44 Ford), Chris Buescher (Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford), Trevor Bayne (Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford), Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford), Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates No. 42 Chevrolet), Matt Kenseth (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota), Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota) and Clint Bowyer (HScott Motorsports No. 15 Chevrolet).
On-track activities are slated to run from 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily.
This week’s test is the second of five organizational tests for Sprint Cup teams in 2016. Remaining tests are slated for Watkins Glen International (July 26-27), Chicagoland Speedway (Aug. 23-24) and Homestead Miami Speedway (Oct. 18-19).
Only one team from each organization is allowed to take part in each test.
Goodyear conducted its tire test for the upcoming race on April 26-27 with three-time series champion Tony Stewart (SHR), Aric Almirola (RPM), Carl Edwards (JGR) and Chase Elliott (HMS) participating.
Last season, NASCAR unveiled a high-drag package highlighted by a nine-inch spoiler for Indianapolis and the August race at Michigan International Speedway. The package was tabled for 2016, however, and replaced by aerodynamic changes that took much more downforce and side force off the cars.
“Last year we had the big-time spoiler change … on the back and the high drag to try to draft around this place so that was a little different than having the three-inch spoiler … with much less downforce,” Elliott said during the April test. “So it seems like you require a little more brake getting into the corner, seems like it takes a little more effort to get the car slowed down for the corner than what we did here the last race.
“It’s hard to say until you come back and have a bunch of cars on the race track at the same time. This place is so big and it is really temperature-sensitive.”
According to track officials, fans will be allowed to watch this week’s test free of charge from the south terrace grandstands, the Turn 2 viewing mounds (adjacent to the speedway’s museum) as well as the B Penthouse grandstands.