Detroit double duty for Indy NXT and IMSA racer Johnson

18-year-old Nikita Johnson will be pulling double duty at this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix; in a span of less than 24 hours, he’ll be driving in the IMSA Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on Saturday evening, before competing in the Indy NXT series feature race on Sunday morning.

It’s his first full season in both series. After finishing runner-up in USF2000 and USF Pro 2000, and running part-time across Indy NXT, FIA Formula 3, and the GB3 Championship last year, Johnson has won two Indy NXT races for Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR, and currently leads the championship over fellow rookie Tymen Kucharczyk.

As Johnson continues to climb the American single-seater ladder system, he’s also getting his first crash-course in multi-class sports car racing with RLL Team McLaren in GTD Pro. He and FIA F2 alumnus Max Esterson are the two unlikely young drivers running full-time for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in its first GTD Pro campaign, driving the No. 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

“It came together pretty last-minute – about a week before the Roar (Before The 24), actually,” explains Johnson. “We met Bobby (Rahal) last year over dinner in October. It was just an introduction, and we wanted to come by and see RLL at some point.

“We were just transitioning from racing in Europe in F3 and British F3 (GB3) to coming back over stateside. And then Mr. Rahal was like, we’ll keep an eye out on you and see how your Indy NXT career goes. We just kind of kept in contact with my agent, and we finally worked out a deal, right before the Roar.

“I’m happy to be with them, and it’s really good because they also have an IndyCar team. I’m not sure where that’s going to take me, but it’s just cool to be with a team that’s in both paddocks.”

It's been a jump-in-at-the-deep-end situation for Johnson and RLL Team McLaren in GTD Pro, but he's relishing the challenge. Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images

So far, it’s been a tough rookie IMSA campaign for Johnson, with a best finish of seventh at Laguna Seca through the first three races. But he’s enjoying the new challenge.

“Sports cars are amazing. I didn’t realize I’d love it as much as I do now,” he says. “I’d never driven a sports car before the Daytona Roar, and then Daytona was my first-ever weekend. That was pretty crazy to say the least. I’m used to all the sprint races and all the open-wheel stuff, so only 45-, 55-minute races. And then we went to Sebring, we’re doing two stints at Sebring and Daytona. It was a lot different, just on the driving style and the length of what we drive. But so far, I’ve loved it. It’s been an incredible experience.

“We’ve had a little bit of bad luck and some stuff happening, but I think Max and I are driving pretty well. We’re getting more used to the car every weekend, getting faster and faster. The team’s also getting on top of the McLaren. I think we need a few more race weekends, maybe – and if we put everything together, I think for sure, we have a chance at a podium.”

Much has already been written about how Johnson and Esterson are the two least-experienced full-time drivers in GTD Pro, matched up against established GT racing powerhouses and past champions. It’s not unfamiliar to Johnson going back through his single-seater career, including his successful Indy NXT campaign.

“I mean, it’s a pretty big learning curve for all of us,” Johnson admits. “But the good thing is, we have each other’s back, and everybody’s very supportive at RLL.

“We know that we’re new. We know that the drivers are new, we know that the car is new to the team. And we’re just focusing on doing our best, learning as much as possible every weekend, and moving forward, right?

“I’ve been in a lot of underdog positions, and almost every single year with a smaller team trying to go against bigger teams. And even this year [in Indy NXT] with Cape Motorsports, we’re a two-car team competing against Andretti and HMD. So I know how that feeling is, and I think we’re getting on it pretty well.”