INDIANAPOLIS (AP)-- IndyCar owner Roger Penske says he is particular series officials will examine what resulted in a wheel coming loose throughout a crash in the
Indianapolis 500, which ended up sailing over the catch fence and grandstands before landing on a parked auto.
" We have not had a wheel come off in a long period of time," Penske said. "We were very lucky we didn't have a bad accident."
The vehicles are supposed to have a tether that keeps the wheel connected even in case of a wreck. When Felix Rosenqvist struck the wall in Turns 1 and 2 in the closing laps Sunday, and Kyle Kirkwood introduced off the back of his vehicle into the catch fencing, the wheel went skyrocketing over the fence and the corner of the grandstand before landing in the parking lot.
Tire flies off race automobile, hits parked automobile during Indy 500
The wheel took a trip about 350 backyards before squashing into the front of a fan's parked Chevrolet. With a crowd of more than 300,000 at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and a full grandstand in Turns 1 and 2, it was lucky no one was injured.
" I saw what occurred, saw it bounced on top of a building and went and struck a cars and truck over there, which obviously is extremely concerning," stated Penske, whose motorist Josef Newgarden won the race, offering Team Penske its 19th Indy 500 triumph.
Penske closed on the purchase of IndyCar and
Indianapolis Motor Speedway about three years ago.
" We have tethers on the wheels, and it was a rear wheel that came off," Penske stated after Sunday's triumph celebration, "and I'm sure the men at IndyCar will look at it, will determine what actually occurred."
During the 1987
Indianapolis 500, one fan was killed when a tire flew into the leading row of the grandstands. It had actually come off Tony Bettenhausen's automobile, then bounced off the front of Roberto Guerrero's cars and truck, before landing amongst the fans.
During a 1998 race at Michigan International Speedway including CART-- which later on became part of IndyCar-- Adrian Fernandez crashed and a tire and other parts flew into the stands. 3 fans were eliminated and 6 others were injured that day.
The next year, three fans were killed and 8 injured at
Charlotte Motor Speedway when a tire and other debris flew into the stands during an Indy Racing League occasion. The race was canceled, and IndyCar has actually not returned to the speedway.
Those occurrences resulting in the development of the tethers that are expected to keep the wheels connected.
The owner of the Chevrolet that took the force of the damage Sunday was Robin Matthews, a race fan from
Indianapolis. Her vehicle, which she calls "snowball," had to be towed away since of the damage. She was treated with an opportunity to kiss the yard of bricks, and
Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles gave her a lift home.
IndyCar said one individual was struck by other debris from the crash but was inspected and launched from the infield care.
" I was in this turn," tweeted John Green, an author from
Indianapolis. "Hugely relieved everybody appears to be OK. Enjoying a wheel fly over my friends at 150 miles per hour is not an experience I'm distressed to repeat."
Rosenqvist and Kirkwood likewise were unscathed in the wreck, though the latter went on quite a flight. Kirkwood went air-borne after contact and landed upside down versus the wall, skidding a number of hundred yards as stimulates flew from his car.
" That's the scary part," Kirkwood said. "You're upside-down and you're type of stuck at that point."
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