The carbon-fiber splint was built specifically for Johnson's broken right hand. He had tape around his fingers to prevent him from using his pinkie as he drove his car around the downtown streets of Long Beach.
The Saturday morning test was supposed to be used to determine Johnson's fitness a day after he was injured in a crash.
I had no pain on the track. I felt good. I was trying to go too fast into Turn 1 and locked the tires, but from an injury standpoint, I feel really good.
The Long Beach race is considered his home race. Long Beach was an annual childhood trip for Johnson and he rented a suite for 40 friends to watch him make his second career start there.
It has been a busy weekend. The seven-time NASCAR champion arrived in Long Beach after a career-best sixth-place finish in his Indianapolis 500 debut at Texas Motor Speedway.
Those who were excited for Johnson's Indy 500 debut spoke on Friday. He broke his hand after crashing into a tire barrier. The injury was obvious as Johnson shook his hand in the in-car camera.
It had appeared that Johnson did not remove his hands from the steering wheel, a common practice in open-wheel racing to protect the driver from the force of the impact. NASCAR drivers don't usually remove their hands from the steering wheel in crashes.
Johnson said that he removed his hands from the steering wheel but did not pull them back far enough to avoid injury.
I let go. Johnson said that he didn't get them far enough out of the way.
The break was shown in the X-rays on Friday, and the team was tasked with building a splint to use in the car. The small black piece was wrapped in tape and had to be approved by Dr. Terry Trammell.
It took several tense hours for CGR and Johnson to get him back in the car. If Johnson cannot race on Sunday, Bourdais would likely be his replacement.
Johnson arrived at the track at 6 a.m. and said that he was just driving laps after going through all the right steps. Dr. Trammell is amazing. He knew how to build it and where to put it. The man knows what he is doing.
He was ready to get back in the car after the X-ray showed that the break had aligned overnight.
I'm just upset with myself. He said that he knows where he needs to get better in the cars and how to attack.
I lost the back and had to run into the tires. I have made two mistakes at Long Beach.
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