Marcus Armstrong left the track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a stretcher following a single-car crash in qualifying on Saturday but appeared to escape serious injury.
A few hours later, Colton Herta also crashed, like Armstrong, in Turn 1. His car hit the outside wall, flipped and came to a stop its side after slamming into the wall again. Herta climbed out of his Honda but needed assistance to get to the vehicle that arrived to take him to the infield care center.
Gusty winds are believed to have contributed to the incidents.
After the medical staff checked out Herta, he got the go-ahead to compete in qualifying later in the day, if his backup car was ready.
The news also was good for Armstrong.
“Marcus has been seen and released from the infield care center,” his team, Meyer Shenk Racing, said in a statement Saturday morning.
The team did not state whether he could return to the track Saturday with the backup car.
Driving the blue No. 66 Honda, Armstrong lost control while approaching a turn, spun and crashed into the wall, severely damaging the left side of the car.
He was able to climb out the mangled wreckage and immediately was placed on a stretcher. Medical director Dr. Julia Vaizer spoke to Fox Sports after Armstrong was evaluated.
“He is awake, he’s alert, he’s doing well,” Vaizer said. “These hits at IMS oval can be really hard. We just want to make sure we don’t rush things, we take our time, and make the right decisions for the driver.”
The 109th Indianapolis 500 is set for May 25.
Armstrong, 24, is a New Zealand native who won the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year in 2023. He spent his first two seasons driving with Chip Ganassi Racing. He has two Top 10 finishes among five starts this season and ranks 14th in the driver standings.
Herta, a 26-year-old Californian, ranks ninth in the standings. He has three Top 10 and one Top 5 finish this season.
He said the crash was a tough one.
“These crashes look a lot scarier than they feel. Not to say that one felt good.”
–Field Level Media
