NASCAR veteran Jimmie Johnson has announced he will test a Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar next week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the team asking for the esteemed services of five-time series champion Scott Dixon to guide the American through his paces.
The seven-time NASCAR Cup series champion will join the Chip Ganassi outfit at the hallowed venue on July 8 and complete a test on the 3.9km road course that will be used for next weekend’s GMR Grand Prix.
The team’s full-time line up of Dixon and Felix Rosenqvist will also be at the venue in preparation for next weekend’s event with team owner Chip Ganassi suggesting on Twitter that the kiwi could offer Johnson some valuable pointers.
The 44-year-old will retire from NASCAR at the end of the current season and has voiced his ambitions to explore a campaign in IndyCar.
Johnson was set for a private test with pitlane rivals Arrow McLaren SP at Barber Motorsport Park earlier in the year. However, that test was shelved as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take its toll on global sport.
Dixon, meanwhile, heads into next weekend’s second round of the championship at the head of the standings after a dominant victory from Texas Motor Speedway earlier in the month.
The kiwi will be out for revenge after he lost the lead of last year’s race around the Indy road course in the dying stages to a hard-charging Simon Pagenaud.
Both Johnson’s test and the GMR Grand Prix of Indy will be held behind closed doors with the American series set to allow fans to return at the third round from Road America.