LONG BEACH, Calif. — Jimmie Johnson had surgery to repair his fractured right hand after injuring it Friday in a crash during practice at the Long Beach Grand Prix.
(NOTE: The video in the player above is from Jimmie Johnson's Indy 500 rookie test at IMS in October 2021.)
A spokesperson with Jimmie Johnson Racing said the second-year IndyCar driver had outpatient surgery Monday evening in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is expected to make a full recovery. The spokesperson also confirmed Johnson's plans to participate in the IndyCar test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 20 and 21.
During the crash, Johnson did not remove his hands from the steering wheel — standard practice in open wheel racing but not common in NASCAR — as his car headed into a tire barrier. The force from the collision caused his hands to snap off the wheel and Johnson's in-car camera showed him shaking his right hand.
He did not participate in the IndyCar driver autograph session and was inside the Chip Ganassi Racing hauler with medical staff. When the autograph session ended, Johnson posted a video on Twitter that showed his right arm heavily wrapped and in a splint.
“As you can see, I’m a little banged up here and have a splint on,” Johnson said. "First and foremost, apologies to the fans at the autograph session I wasn’t able to attend. Clearly I’ve got something else going on here."
“I’m on my way to be further evaluated just to get a good honest look and understand what my options are," Johnson said. "I really don’t have any clarity at this point. And I look forward to updating you all very soon.”
Johnson, in his second season of IndyCar after nearly 20 years in NASCAR, is coming off a career-best finish of sixth that energized an audience eager to see him race in next month's Indianapolis 500.