A total of 15 drivers led the 101st Indianapolis 500, breaking the record of 14 set in 2013. There were 11 cautions periods for a total of 50 laps. A red flag stopped action for 19 minutes to repair the SAFER Barrier and catch fencing in the short chute between Turns 1 and 2. It was the result of a Lap 53 collision between Jay Howard and pole sitter Scott Dixon that vaulted Dixon’s car into the safety materials on the inside of the track. Both drivers were fine after the crash.
“I’m just a little beaten up”, said Dixon. “It was definitely a bit of a rough ride. I was hoping that Jay was going to stay against the wall, but obviously, there was the impact. I had already picked that way to go and there was nowhere else to go to avoid him. It was definitely a wild ride. Big thanks to the Holmatro Safety Team, INDYCAR and Dallara and everyone for the safety standards we have on these cars.”
Thanx for all the messages. That was a wild ride. Bummed for #campingworld. Now onto the Championship.Congrats @TakumaSatoRacer so happy 4 u pic.twitter.com/zFd9Z3fX4Y
— Scott Dixon (@scottdixon9) May 28, 2017
A total of 15 drivers led the 101st Indianapolis 500, breaking the record of 14 set in 2013. There were 11 cautions periods for a total of 50 laps
“First and foremost, I’m glad Scott is OK”, Howard added. “It goes to show how safe these cars are. I’m not happy. Unfortunately, we ran out of fuel on our first stint when we were doing really well, which was unfortunate. I was a few laps down and see (Ryan) Hunter-Reay coming. I just backed off, let him go by. He moves right over on me and puts me on all the gray and all the marbles and that was it. It’s over.”
Buddy Lazier had a single-car incident on lap 122. The 1996 Indy 500 winner spun and contacted the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier. Complaining of chest discomfort, Lazier was transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital, where he was treated and released.
The final caution flag waved on lap 184 when the cars of James Davison and Oriol Servia touched in Turn 2, sparking a five-car incident that also collected James Hinchcliffe, Josef Newgarden and Will Power. All drivers had no injuries.
REPLAY: Turn 1 incident on lap 184 at @IMS #Indy500 #INDYCAR https://t.co/1I2Xejdij6 pic.twitter.com/vcjFL63fHe
— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 28, 2017
