Jimmie Johnson leaves Long Beach with third crash but optimism about injury recovery

LONG BEACH, California – Three crashes, a fractured right hand and a 20th-place finish for Jimmie Johnson in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, his hometown race in the NTT IndyCar Series.

Believe it or not, the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has had worse race weekends during his racing career – just ask his former crew chief, Chad Knaus, Johnson joked Sunday.

“We had to go to a couple of backups before we got to a race, maybe Darlington one year,” Johnson told NBC Sports’ Marty Snider in a postrace interview (video above). “But it comes with it. I certainly feel bad I put the team in this position, but I’m thankful for their support and the support from Carvana and my fan base.

“This deal isn’t easy, and you’ve got to live on the razor’s edge on these street courses. There’s no margin for error. And trying to be faster, more competitive. I made some mistakes this weekend. I’ll learn from them and come back even stronger.”

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