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Jimmie Johnson uninjured in crash during qualifying after steering wheel comes off

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500 - Qualifying

AVONDALE, AZ - MARCH 11: The car of Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet, is towed through the garage area after an incident during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 11, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

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Jimmie Johnson was uninjured in a hard crash during qualifying Friday at Phoenix International Raceway after his steering wheel came off.

He’ll go to a backup car and will start Sunday’s Good Sam 500 at the rear of the field. Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet slammed the wall in Turn 2, hitting with the right front.

“Certainly a lot of straight in an area of the track I didn’t need to have straight,’' Johnson told Fox Sports 2. “We’ll have to get to the bottom of it and see what went on. Just a really hard impact into the outside wall. Thankful that we have SAFER barriers and soft walls but very disappointed because we had such a fast race car. Thankfully, we have (Saturday) to work on the backup car and try to get it up to speed and get it going.’'

Johnson later clarified the reason for the crash in a tweet.

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