IndyCar

Johnson has surgery on Long Beach hand injury

by Jack Benyon
2 min read

Jimmie Johnson has vowed to be ready for the Indianapolis open test and the next IndyCar race at Barber Motorsports Park following an operation on a broken hand.

Chip Ganassi Racing driver Johnson crashed at Long Beach in the first practice at the notorious Turn 5 right-hander – taking too much kerb on the corner entry which lifted the car momentarily and sent him careering into the outside tyre barrier.

It was obvious from onboard footage that Johnson wasn’t able to get his hands off the wheel before it moved violently on impact and that led to a broken bone in the outside of his hand near his little finger.

He started practice the next day and promptly crashed again, this time at Turn 2, while wearing a specially developed carbon fibre splint to keep his hand in place.

He still wanted to race at Long Beach if possible although he admitted he would miss it if it affected his preparation for the upcoming races. He finished 20th at Long Beach after a late crash with five laps to go.

This is a busy IndyCar period with the open test at Indianapolis marking the beginning of the run in to the Indy 500.

A sixth place on the Texas oval recently left Johnson – who has largely struggled in IndyCar so far – believing he can be competitive in the series’ blue riband event. He would be making his Indy 500 debut, and it would be by far the highest-profile event of his IndyCar career so far, given the event’s resonance in the wider US sporting world.

The series is then in action at Barber on May 1 and Indianapolis on the road course on May 14 capping a gruelling period to be injured.

Johnson posted on Twitter on Tuesday to confirm his operation and his intention to contest and be fit for Barber and the Indy test.

 

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