INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Marcus Armstrong was taken away on a stretcher after a heavy crash in practice for Indianapolis 500 qualifying, and it was unclear who would get into Meyer Shank Racing’s backup car even if it was ready to make a four-lap run later Saturday.
The 24-year-old from New Zealand hit the wall going into Turn 1 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where winds gusting to nearly 30 mph made for treacherous conditions as the cars approached 240 mph at the end of the long front stretch.
Armstrong was able to climb from his wrecked car after it finally came to rest on the track, but he was immediately helped onto a stretcher. He gave a thumbs up as he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the infield care center.
“He is awake. He is alert. He’s doing well,” said Dr. Julia Vaizer, the medical director for IndyCar and the speedway.
Meyer Shank Racing immediately began working on its backup car, even though it was uncertain who would drive it when the nearly 7-hour qualifying window opened later in the day. The team was getting help from Chip Ganassi Racing, which has a close working relationship with its fellow Honda-powered team.
If Armstrong is unable to qualify the No. 66, there are few options available. Tony Kanaan is the only driver to complete the refresher course, but he is the team principal for Arrow McLaren, and completed it so that his team would have a backup should NASCAR star Kyle Larson have to abandon the May 25 race to make it to the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.
There is also a conflict of interest between the Chevrolet-powered Arrow McLaren team and the Honda teams.
Other backup drivers could conceivably complete the refresher Sunday, allowing them to get into the car. But without making a run Saturday, the best they could do would be to nail down one of the final three spots on the 33-car starting grid.
“It looked a bit weird, to be honest,” Armstrong’s teammate, Felix Rosenqvist, said of the crash. “I haven’t seen any updates or anything. I just tried to look at the screen while I was sitting in the car. Hopefully they can bounce back quickly.”
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