Whoever said that IndyCar racing was as thrilling as watching a TV test pattern, clearly hadn’t watched last weekend’s Indianapolis 500 that took place at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was an action-packed race that saw rookie, Fernando Alonso, who, despite an impressive form all weekend, was relegated to the sidelines due to engine failure.
Takuma Sato eventually emerged victorious after a hard fought battle and has entered the record books as the first Japanese driver to win the prestigious race. Despite his amazing feat, this year’s race will be remembered for a very different reason.
Most will remember it as a day they witnessed a terrifying crash between pole sitter Scott Dixon and Jay Howard. Howard, driving the No.77 Lucas Oil/Team One Cure Honda hit the barrier outside of turn 2 and careened back towards the track, directly into the path of Scott Dixon’s No.9 Caping World Honda. Dixon with no time to react, plowed into Howard’s car, launching his No.9 car into the air and hitting the fence. Both cars were heavily damaged and debris from the crash was spread all over that section of the track.
Surprisingly, neither Dixon nor Howard sustained any injuries, which is a testament to the safety that is engineered to these types of race cars. The incident caused a 19-minute red flag for wall repair and track cleaning.
Check out the video above to see exactly what contributed to the hair-raising crash that we will not forget anytime soon.
Source: indianapolismotorspeedway.com
