LONG BEACH, Calif. – Jimmie Johnson’s “Weekend in Long Beach” is starting to look like his IndyCar version of “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
He spun several times in Friday’s practice before crashing hard into the tire barrier and breaking his right hand. After he was examined and an X-ray showed the fracture, he was fitted with a splint by former orthopedic surgeon Dr. Terry Trammell, who is now a safety consultant for IndyCar.
In Saturday’s practice, he had several incidents and another crash that sent him back to the care center for another examination.
He participated in Saturday’s qualification session but lost his two fastest laps for impeding Graham Rahal from completing a fast lap.
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Johnson, who became a race fan by attending the annual race on the streets of Long Beach as a teenager, will start 25th in the 26-car starting lineup for Sunday’s Street race in the No. 48 Carvana/American Legion Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“I wanted to have a clean session and get some reps under my belt,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, I had a little confusion merging onto the track and obstructed the 15 car (Rahal), so my two best laps were taken away.
“I’m on damage control with my right hand so starting last on the field. I’ll work my way forward if I can. Attrition will come into play. Hopefully, my hand will hold up and get me through the race so I can log laps, gain some points, and earn as many points as I can to stay in the top 10 in points.”
After his qualification session ended with a penalty, Johnson hinted that if his hand gave him problems, he might yield the seat for the Long Beach race because the Indianapolis 500 and the upcoming test on April 20 and 21 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway remain his top priority.
“My real goal is the 500 and we have a test session there on April 20 and 21,” Johnson said. “I’ve talked to many specialists on the West Coast and the East Coast about my hand, what further damage can be done, what options I have.
“I’m more focused on Indy. As much as I want to be here, if I have to give this up to make sure I was ready for Barber Motorsports Park, the test at Indy in two weeks or the Indianapolis 500, I was really to forgo this.
“But this morning, my hand improved, I was able to work with the splint on my hand so I’m going to go ahead and run on Sunday.”