INDIANAPOLIS — Jimmie Johnson looked every bit like a four-time race winner on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s historic oval Wednesday.
Only this time, his blue No. 48 was an Indy car turning laps in excess of 215 mph.
The seven-time NASCAR champion climbed as high No. 3 on the daily speed chart before finishing the first of two Indianapolis 500 test sessions pain free. He told reporters he has been feeling good since doctors surgically inserted a screw into his broken right hand on April 11.
“I was surprised with how big the screw was but the pain was just gone in such a short time after the surgery,” Johnson said on pit road. “But I didn’t have any soft tissue issues, either.”
The 46-year-old Johnson still took some precautions — wearing protective padding over a wrap around his injured hand. It certainly didn’t slow down his car or his learning curve.
Johnson noted the ovals he avoided in his inaugural IndyCar season last year put less force on his hand than the Long Beach street…
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