The Chip Ganassi Racing-Honda driver grabbed a tad too much curb on the inside of Turn 5 of the legendary street course during Friday’s sole practice session, so that the underside of the car grounded out, taking weight off his wheels just as he needed maximum grip to complete the corner.
The #48 Carvana machine plowed into the tire wall on the outside and Johnson’s right hand took the strain as the steering wheel wrenched it around.
Johnson then headed to hospital, and while there were rumors that Ganassi’s IMSA ace, Sebastien Bourdais might sub for Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR champion elected to continue in his second ever GP of Long Beach. His decision was made easier by the Ganassi team managing to devise a neat carbon-fiber splint for his hand, to minimize the strain.
Unfortunately, the weekend didn’t get any easier for Johnson, and this was arguably his most torrid IndyCar event yet. In Saturday morning practice, he slid head-on into the Turn 1 tire barrier, in…
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