Photo credit: Indycar.com/Joe Skibinski
Felix Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood’s races ended with 17 laps to go in one of the most terrifying wrecks in recent Indianapolis 500 history. Rosenqvist, who had just been passed by eventual race winner Josef Newgarden, pushed wide and into the South Chute wall, and spun trying to get the car out of harm’s way at turn 2.
He collected Kirkwood, who flipped and rode along his windscreen while his left rear tyre was sheared off and launched in the direction of, but fortunately away from, the grandstand.
For Rosenqvist, it was an auspicious end to a promising May.
“We were up there all month, all day. I thought we had a really flawless race, but yeah, sometimes this place is just brutal. I mean, I’m fine. It’s mixed emotions, obviously. It’s sad to get another DNF this year, and obviously here at the 500, but I think here is the place you have to go for it, but yeah, really bummed that we were in a good position, and yeah, just have to regroup and go forward.“
While the brutality of defeat befell Rosenqvist more than anything else, it was Kirkwood who had the more harrowing experience of flipping over and grinding along the pavement on his roof.
“Felix got up into the wall. I thought he was going to stay high into the wall. Shot down low, so last minute I made a decision to come back up, and he started, he lost the car and barely clipped me. I mean, it was so close. I thought I made it, and obviously, it just touched, and next thing you know, I’m flying at the wall. So, super unfortunate.”
It was yet another successful test of the IndyCar aeroscreen, but with Kirkwood safe the concern went to the whereabouts of the tyre that was sent out of the circuit and toward spectators. IMS/IndyCar owner Roger Penske seemed confident that the IndyCar staff will be able to get to the bottom of a freak incident.
“I’m sure 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. We have high fences here. But we were very fortunate we didn’t have a bad accident.”
