Josef Newgarden flips, lands upside down in Indy 500 practice crash
A day after Helio Castroneves flipped over in an Indianapolis 500 practice crash, Josef Newgarden did the same. And his car didn’t land right side up.
During another 500 practice session on Thursday, Newgarden’s car went airborne when it hit the wall in turns one and two, very close to the spot where Castroneves’ car crashed. While Castroneves’ car landed with the top of his head facing the sky after initially landing on its side, Newgarden’s car hit upside down and went skidding across the track.
He was able to climb from the car and was treated and released from the infield care center.
“I don’t know what to think of it. We were just going out there for a run and it was a pretty crazy hit,” Newgarden said. “I don’t think there’s any concern right now but I haven’t even talked to my guys yet, so I’m not sure.”
“I was pretty impressed by the hit, it was a hard hit. I feel fine. I hit my hand a little bit and I think I got a bruise, but other than that, I’m fine. We make these cars as safe as we can … I feel very safe in them. We’re always looking for more, but i think they’re about as safe as we can make them right now.”
Mann crashed in practice on Wednesday and, thankfully, her car didn’t catch any air. However, she had a hard hit at the beginning of the wall that separates the pit road from the track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The IndyCar Series introduced aero kits this season, the fourth year for its new chassis. The kits are customized for both road courses and speedways and help the Chevrolet and Honda cars with performance and also brand identity.
Are the new aero kits, which feature aerodynamic trim pieces on the front, sides and rear of the car, helping the cars get airborne so easily? It’s a fair question.
“We think the wicker that’s on the front of the car pinned the front of the car down as it was sliding; you could see it in the pictures,” team owner Roger Penske told the Indianapolis Star after Castroneves’ crash on Wednesday. “When the rear end got a little air under it … it caught the air and then went up.”
Both Castroneves and Newgarden drive Chevrolets. According to Chevy’s press release announcing the Indy 500 aero kit, the car’s “rear bumper bods and wheel wedges were designed as an integrated solution to reduce vehicle drag” (while the car is facing the right direction, of course) and the rear wing, unique for the race, “features low-mass rear wing pillars and a low-mass rear mainplane.”
It’s important to note that IndyCars getting airborne is not a new phenomenon. Mike Conway’s car flew into the catchfence in the 2010 Indianapolis 500 and he suffered a broken leg. Numerous cars got airtime in the massive and tragic crash at Las Vegas in 2011 that killed Dan Wheldon, who tested this newer and safer chassis extensively before his death (the chassis is named in his honor).
However, with two flips in two days, it’s fair to be concerned about the probability of a car flipping during the race on May 24.
Qualifying for the race begins Saturday and concludes Sunday. With the cars trimmed out for maximum speed and low downforce for a top qualifying spot, the session could be a good barometer of what preliminarily appears to be a flipping trend if anyone bobbles and crashes.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
