Jimmie Johnson finishes 11th in IndyCar race after spinning early
Jimmie Johnson had an eventful debut at Iowa Speedway.
The NASCAR legend in his first season driving IndyCar Series ovals finished 11th Saturday in the first race of a weekend doubleheader on the 7/8-mile oval in Newton, Iowa. Josef Newgarden won the 250-lap race.
It came after a start of 15th, an early spin that put him at the rear of the field and some daring action in the middle of the race that put him in the top 5. He also led during a round of pit stops.
Johnson said his NASCAR driving instincts took over early, leading to the spin.
"I tried to run the painted line like I would a Cup car, and as soon as I did that, I thought, 'You idiot,'" Johnson told NBC post-race.
He had more fun after pitting to change tires and move through the field.
"It was a lot of fun, moving up spots, racing hard, driving with the regulars up front," said Johnson, who made a race-high 57 on-track passes.
Johnson finished 6th at Texas and 28th in the Indianapolis 500 in his other IndyCar oval starts. He is scheduled to start 13th in Sunday's race at Iowa.
Qualifying report: Will Power doubles his fun with two pole positions
Take a look:
Move @JimmieJohnson inside the top five!
What a day for the @CGRTeams driver and seven-time @NASCAR champ. #INDYCAR
📺 : @nbc and @peacockTV pic.twitter.com/f9w7SQMlbz— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) July 23, 2022
WHAT A MOVE, @JIMMIEJOHNSON!
The @CGRTeams driver goes three-wide around Jack Harvey and Devlin Defrancesco. #INDYCAR
TV: @NBC and @PeacockTV pic.twitter.com/7gSK7HUZb5— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) July 23, 2022
.@jimmiejohnson has made his way up to 5th after spinning at the beginning of the race 👀
WATCH LIVE: @NBC and @PeacockTV#INDYCAR // @INDYCARatIowa pic.twitter.com/LCu9Em8sVs— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 23, 2022
Full course yellow is out for this spin (and no contact!) by @jimmiejohnson.
WATCH LIVE: @NBC and @PeacockTV#INDYCAR // #HyVeeDeals250 pic.twitter.com/HPT3LrNpmC— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 23, 2022
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jimmie Johnson finishes 11th in eventful IndyCar race in Iowa