The Verizon IndyCar Series was back on track at Road America today, just six days after the first round of testing took place at the famous road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Five drivers representing four teams participated in today’s action, with James Hinchcliffe taking center stage. It was the first time back in the No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Honda for Hinchcliffe, since his life-threatening crash on May 18 during practice for the Indianapolis 500.

James was beyond thrilled to be back in the car. “It’s like Christmas for me, it’s just so great to be back. The installation lap was a little weird because I hadn’t done that in a while, but everything else came back really quick.” It wasn’t all foreign for Hinchcliffe on Monday. The 29 year-old Canadian driver won at Road America in Pro Mazda and the Formula BMW series.

Despite the seriousness of his crash back in May, Hinchcliffe’s spirits were never down. “I’ve been shooting for this day for four months and it couldn’t get here fast enough, and I’m just excited to resume my career. We’ve got a test next month at Sebring, and maybe one or two more before December is over, and that’s what I need.”

The other drivers taking part in today’s test included Andretti Autosport drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti, KV Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais, and Tristan Vautier, who was there with Dale Coyne Racing.

Today’s test was not open to the public, but there were plenty of things posted on social media.

Below are a couple of videos – the first is a quick sit down with James, then an on board visor cam video that gives you a true appreciation for the cars, the track, and the drivers. Both videos courtesy of IndyCar.

Below are some photos from today’s test session, courtesy of IndyCar.