Colton Herta and David Malukas both crashed heavily into the wall during the final practice session before the Indianapolis 500, which is known affectionately as Carb Day.
Both drivers hit the wall in turn 1 and resulted in destroyed race cars, but the crashes were very different to one another.
Malukas went into the first turn side by side with Santino Ferrucci, and the rookie could not hold his car down on account of the sub-optimal entry angle.
The Dale Coyne Racing Honda washed up the track, then spun in the marbles and hit the wall with the left sidepod and caused considerable damage.
Herta’s crash later in the session was notably more shocking, as his Andretti Autosport Honda went airborne after hitting the outside wall.
Luckily the car avoided the fencing and landed back on the tarmac, albeit upside down. Within 10 seconds of sliding to a stop in turn 2, the AMR safety crew was on site rendering aid.
Both drivers were uninjured, but both teams will likely need to bring out backup cars and have them built up over the next 48 hours before the most important race of the year takes place.
The Carb Day session got underway nearly two hours after the originally scheduled time on account of overnight rain that did not quite clear the area in time. Track conditions did not seem to be the cause of either of the dramatic crashes.
Instead of a two-hour session, drivers only had 90 minutes to feel out their cars in the final practice session of the nearly two-week event.
Tony Kanaan was the fastest driver over the course of the interrupted running, leading his Ganassi team-mate Marcus Ericsson in a show of speed from the powerhouse team that has become a theme of this year.
Teams up and down the pit lane also practiced hot pit stops for the first time in nearly two weeks, as every aspect of the operation was given a close, final look.
The 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place on Sunday, May 29, with the green flag waving at 12:45 PM Eastern Time.
Discussion about this post