Recapping all 5 crashes in a wild, chaotic Indy 500
Here is a look at the five crashes from Sunday's Indianapolis 500:
Lap 92: Sting Ray Robb on Graham Rahal after crash: 'When you're not leading, can't do that'
The first yellow of the race came when rookie Sting Ray Robb crashed in Turn 1 on Lap 92. Robb, in his first attempt at the Indianapolis 500, qualified in the last row and was focused on getting to the finish of his first time around the Brickyard.
"I've had too many learning experiences this year," Robb said. "I'm sick and tired of it."
He was having a quiet race until it approached the halfway mark.
After being seen and released from the medical center after his crash, rookie Sting Ray Robb said “I’ve had way too many learning experiences this year. I’m sick and tired of them.”
His car was towed back to the garage after the crash: pic.twitter.com/fWolRswFgI— chloe peterson (@chloepeterson67) May 28, 2023
More: Yes, his name is actually Sting Ray Robb. Here's how he got it.
Graham Rahal, who was substituting for the injured Stefan Wilson, made a late pass on Robb and forced the No. 51 BioHaven Honda out of the groove in Turn 1. Robb slid up the track and made heavy contact with the outside wall.
Robb appeared to show his frustrations with Rahal before he stepped into the ambulance to take him to the infield medical center for a checkup.
"Just got caught up racing someone I thought didn't stand up to the stereotype, but I guess it's there," Robb said after he was seen and released from the medical center. "Wasn't really for position and a late move, just got hung out there in the gray. When you're not leading the race, can't do that."
Here’s a pretty upset @sting_ray_robb after crashing in today’s #Indy500 #INDYCAR @IndyStarSports @By_NathanBrown pic.twitter.com/DOyoQdLLVJ
— Clark Wade (@ClarkWade34) May 28, 2023
Robb is the second driver out of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to be out of the race. Katherine Legge, who started 29th, had multiple issues with her car leading to contact with the pit lane road.promising races. VeeKay was penalized for the contact and had to serve a drivethrough penalty.
Lap 150: Romain Grosjean crashes out of Indy 500 again
For the second time in as many years, Romain Grosjean’s Indianapolis 500 came to an early end. Grosjean, in just his second attempt at the 500, was running in the 25th position when his car lost control at the exit of Turn 2 and slammed the outside wall.
The No. 28 DHL Honda then slid down the racetrack and came to a rest in the infield grass area. Grosjean climbed out of his car unhurt but, once again, his dreams of being an Indy 500 champion were dashed.
Indy 500 live updates: Results, leaderboard from IMS
The 37-year-old Formula 1 veteran had a near-identical crash in last year’s race that relegated him to a 31st-place finish.
Lap 185: Rosenqvist-Kirkwood crash sends tire over stands
A terrifying incident brought the race to a sudden halt on Lap 186. Felix Rosenqvist, who was running in the top 5, lost the air off his front nose after being passed by Josef Newgarden in Turn 1 and slid up into the wall. Once the car made contact with the outside wall, it slid back down the track, was clipped by Kyle Kirkwood, who spun into the Turn 2 wall.
"I started pushing and pushing, and it got worse and worse and worse," Rosenqvist said of his car leading up to the crash. "I thought I would make it, but the rear started coming around and I had to catch it and hit the wall. Really unfortunate I couldn't stay up there, I knew I had a whole train behind me so I wanted to make sure no one else hit me, but something broke in the rear and I came back on the track and Kyle hit me."
"I started pushing and pushing, and it got worse and worse and worse," Rosenqvist said of his car leading up to the crash. "I thought I would make it, but the rear started coming around and I had to catch it and hit the wall. Really unfortunate I couldn't stay up there, I knew I had a whole train behind me so I wanted to make sure no one else hit me, but something broke in the rear and I came back on the track and Kyle hit me."
Kirkwood's car went airborne, flipping over and sliding down the backstretch.
"It barely clipped me, it was so close," Kirkwood said. "I thought I made it, and then it just touched, and next thing you know I'm flying at the wall. Super unfortunate."
Indy 500: Loose tire flies over fencing, fans after late race crash
As Kirkwood slid on his roof down the backstretch, a stray tire from Kirkwood’s car flew over the catch-fencing and landed behind the grandstands.
Thankfully, the tire missed the grandstands and hit a parked car, resulting in only minor injuries.
Safety crews were quick to attend to the overturned car of Kirkwood while Rosenqvist told his team over the radio that he was, “Ok, but pissed.”
The crash brought out a red flag to clean up the mess and make sure no one was injured from the flying tire.
Rosenqvist and Kirkwood were able to exit their race cars and both were seen and released from the onsite medical center. However, Rosenqvist’s bid to be the second Swedish driver in a row to win the Indy 500 came to a disappointing end just short of the checkered flag.
Lap 193: Pato O'Ward crashes out going for lead
A chaotic run to the finish of the 107th Indianapolis 500 hit another slowdown as the race was getting ready to wrap up.
Going for the third position with 7 laps to go, Pato O’Ward made a daring move on defending race winner Marcus Ericsson, when his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet lost grip in the corner and spun out, slamming into the turn 3 wall.
O’Ward’s nosecone perched atop the SAFER barrier as it slid to a stop. Once the car came to a complete stop in the north chute, rookie Agustin Canapino slowly ran into the back of O’Ward’s car, sending the No. 78 over the top of O’Ward’s left rear tire.
Canapino appeared to have suspension damage from contact during O’Ward’s spin. The Argentinian rookie could not steer or stop his car in time to miss O’Ward’s stalled car.
Further behind the accident, Scott McLaughlin and Simon Pagenaud made contact when Pagenaud slowed for the yellow. McLaughlin ran into the back of Pagenaud, sending the 2019 winner into a series of 360 spins.
O’Ward was in prime position for his first Indianapolis 500 victory in spite of issues fueling the car. The television broadcast made reference to Takuma Sato’s crash while trying to win the 2012 race, saying that O’Ward crashed in a very similar fashion while going for the win.
Lap 196: Carpenter-Pedersen crash sets up white/green finish
Ed Carpenter and Benjamin Pedersen went into the inside wall near the start-finish line on the late restart, bringing a third red flag. Christian Lundgaard, Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal were also involved. Marcus Ericsson edged into the lead ahead of Josef Newgarden, setting up the wild finish.
"There wasn't much I could have done different on the restart," Pedersen said. "There was literaly a car sideways. Just unfortunate."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 crashes: Recapping all five incidents in a wild race