Indy 500 fans were relieved after the wheel from Kyle Kirkwood’s racecar went flying over them and into the parking lot at the Brickyard
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by Sebastien Bell
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The racing world was spared a potential tragedy at the Indy 500 on Sunday, after a crash sent a wheel from Kyle Kirkwood’s racecar flying off the car and towards the grandstands at turn 2 during in the closing stages of the legendary race.
The crash was precipitated by another, ahead of Kirkwood, involving Felix Rosenqvist, who was running in the top five. After being passed, he understeered into the barriers in turn one, and slid back down the track.
The approaching Kirkwood could do little to avoid the stricken Rosenqvist, but the cars were fortunate to only clip each other. Unfortunately, that contact appeared to happen around the back wheel of the approaching vehicle, sending it flying off the car.
Images reveal that it was Kirkwood’s left rear wheel that was detached from the racecar, and video footage shows it arcing towards the grandstands. Fortunately, the wheel went over the fans, and into the parking lot where it hit a white Chevrolet Cruze owned by race fan Robin Matthews.
“I didn’t see it come down,” he told the Indy Star. “I came down, and they said, ‘Robin, it’s your car!’ I thought, ‘No.’ I thought somebody was pranking me.”
Read: Porsche 911 GT Cup Narrowly Avoids Tragedy After Flying Into Grandstands At Portimão
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Although the wheel missed fans, some debris did hit someone, causing them to report to the infield medical center with minor injuries. All things considered, though, damage to a vehicle and a minor injury are a fortunate result.
Debris flying off racecars into the stands is a major concern for IndyCar, as well as other racing series. The last spectator fatality at the Indy 500 came as a result of a detached wheel that was sent flying from Tony Bettenhausen’s car, killing fan Lyle Kurtenbach.
Despite the incident, IndyCar does take measures to prevent these accidents from occurring. All of the series’ racecars have had tethers in them to lower the likelihood of wheels flying off them since 1999. Meanwhile, high fences are meant to keep debris contained onto the track. Despite that, the accident warrants investigation, said Roger Penske, the owner of IndyCar.
“It’s very concerning,” said Penske. “I’m sure that the guys at IndyCar will look at it, will determine what really happened. We haven’t seen a wheel come off in a long time.”
Meanwhile, the accident sent Kirkwood’s car slamming into the wall, and flipping onto its back. In-car footage of the driver’s frightening upside down ride shows that his car’s halo device and roll hoop kept his head clear of the tarmac throughout the accident. Although he was taken to the medical center, he was cleared and released the same day.
