Photo Credit: Chris Owens/IndyCar
“To get the opportunity now to come back, it definitely feels a little more rewarding,” Hinchcliffe said.
Wednesday’s open-test marked James Hinchcliffe’s triumphant return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. the site of his season ending horrific crash last year in practice preparing for the Indianapolis 500.
“Everyone was going to be thinking about it until we got out here and ran some laps,” he said. “It’s always nice to be back at the Speedway; we all say that all the time and it’s extra nice to be able to go around at pace today.”
Last year during practice, a piece of suspension broke, causing him to make contact with the wall in Turn 2. The broken suspension impaled the Canadian in his car, causing injuries that resulted in sufficient blood lose. He would require emergency surgery followed by months of rehabilitation with physical therapy. His first race back in the No. 5 Arrow Electronics car was last month’s season opener in St Petersburg.
“Sitting out last year was tough,” he said. “Getting to watch all my friends and colleagues go do the greatest race on earth and have to be watching from the sidelines is a big blow, for sure. “This is our Super Bowl, this is what we really put as much attention on as anything else.” “Of all he one to miss, it’s the hardest.”
Next up for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver is the race at Long Beach which is scheduled for April 17th.
