Hinchcliffe injured in latest IndyCar crash
INDIANAPOLIS James Hinchcliffe was in intensive care Monday after crashing in practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, according to IndyCar medical director Michael Olinger.
The Verizon IndyCar Series driver was in stable condition at IU Health Methodist Hospital after having surgery for an undisclosed injury to his upper left thigh, according to Olinger.
“Obviously we’re relieved that James is awake and out of surgery,” Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team owner Sam Schmidt said in a statement. “That’s the most important thing on our minds right now, and we will do absolutely everything required to ensure a complete recovery.”
A replacement had not been announced for the driver, who qualified his No. 5 Honda 24th on Sunday for the Indianapolis 500.
Hinchcliffe, 28, crashed hard into the Turn 3 wall, covered by a SAFER barrier, about 50 minutes into a practice session. His car drove straight into the Turn 3 wall. It struck hard on the right front side, skidded across the short chute between Turns 3 and 4 in a shower of sparks, briefly flipped over onto its roll hoop and then rolled back onto its wheels before coming to a stop in Turn 4.
In-car video and the team confirmed a right-front suspension failure caused the crash, Honda spokesman Dan Layton told USA TODAY Sports via email. “(The) car never left the ground but did get up on (the) right side after losing both right-side wheels, (the) airbox and (the) rear wing in the initial impact.”
This is the fifth bad crash in practice leading up to the series’ biggest event. The cars of three drivers have flipped: Helio Castroneves on Wednesday, Josef Newgarden on Thursday and Ed Carpenter on Sunday. Carpenter’s flip prompted IndyCar to mandate changes to the cars’ setup — reducing turbopower boost and encouraging teams to set up the aero kits with less downforce — before qualifying. Teams must use their qualifying setup for the race. Pippa Mann crashed Wednesday but blamed herself.
“We’re always going to have concerns,” Tony Kanaan said. “I’m not concerned. I’m ready to put on a good show for the fans who come here to watch us. These things happen. We hate it, but it’s part of our job.”