Just a day after the grid was finalized for the Indy 500, all 33 drivers hit the track again on Monday to take part in a two hour practice session.
The tone of the day was notably different, as drivers were all practicing running in groups rather than preparing their cars for solo qualifying runs.
Drivers were dodging and passing each other all afternoon, leading to some close calls at 230 MPH.
There was one instance where two drivers did actually crash, with Stefan Wilson and Katherine Legge both colliding heavily with the outside SAFER barrier in turn 1.
Legge was able to climb from her car, and was seen and released from the infield care center with no injuries.
Wilson, on the other hand, had to be extracted from his Dreyer and Reinbold Chevy and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.
IndyCar Medical Director Dr. Julia Vaizer gave a quick update on his condition, stating that he was being relocated “for advanced imaging and further evaluation.” He was conscious and talking to medial staff throughout.
There was a 30 minute delay in the action while cleanup took place for the first major incident of the past two weeks, which included welding repairs to the track wall itself.
When cars were released on track again, the close battles resumed as if they had never stopped. The focus for each driver was obviously getting comfortable in traffic and with a race-ready car.
Will Power put his Team Penske Chevy on the top of the timesheets by the end of the session, lapping the course at 229.222 MPH.
Power completed 88 laps in the two hour practice run, second only to Christian Lundgaard, who completed 90 circuits.
A trio of Ganassi drivers followed closely behind, with Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato, and Alex Palou all in the top four positions.
Tony Kanaan rounded out the top five, putting his Arrow McLaren entry near the front as he prepares for his final IndyCar race next weekend.
Over 2000 laps were turned on Monday alone, and the combined total for all practice sessions over the past week topped 9800.
One final practice session awaits on Friday, known as Carb Day, before drivers will take to the track for the actual race on Sunday, May 28.
