On Monday, the 33 drivers that qualified for the Indianapolis 500 were back out on track to take part in a two-hour practice session and prepare their cars for race conditions.
Just over halfway through the session, the practice was paused for an incident between Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson.
In what was the first major crash of the Month of May, two of the single race entries tangled while speeding through the first turn.
They were at the back of a pack of cars that were practicing how their car handled in turbulent conditions, and were forced to slow to keep a safe distance as the whole group checked up.
Legge did not anticipate the sudden slowdown quickly enough, and ran straight into the back of the #23 car in front of her. Both cars were sent spinning and crashed hard into the outside SAFER barrier.
Luckily neither car got up into the fencing, but the impact was still quite large. Legge’s impact was with the right rear quarter of the car, but Wilson’s impact was with the direct front of the nosecone, which did not give much chance to dissipate any forces from the impact.
The AMR safety crew arrived on scene in moments, and had to extract Wilson from the cockpit of his Dreyer and Reinbold Chevy. He was placed onto a stretcher with a neck brace fitted as he was wheeled into a waiting ambulance.
The 33-year-old did give a thumbs up as he was being wheeled away, showing he was conscious and suggesting that the precautions being taken were precautionary in nature.
Legge was able to climb from her car under her own power, and was given a ride to the infield car center for evaluation.
The impact was so great that track workers were seen repairing the SAFER barrier with welding tools, fixing damage that was done to the wall itself. The practice session was restarted after a roughly 30 minute delay.
Legge was seen and released from the care center, and related that she checked up as much as she could in the middle of the corner. Her backup car situation is not yet known.
IndyCar Medical Director Dr. Vaizer gave an updated about Wilson as well, relaying that he was being transported to a local hospital “for advanced imaging and further evaluation.” He was conscious and talking with the safety crew throughout.
Further details about the status of both drivers and their availability to participate in the Indy 500 will be shared as they are announced.
