FORT WORTH, Texas — Report by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway photo —
A hard crash exiting turn four on lap 42 of Sunday’s rain-postponed Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway has sent Josef Newgarden to a local hospital and ended the race for both he and fellow American young gun Conor Daly.
Daly was working underneath Newgarden in turn four when the right rear tire on his No. 18 Jonathan Byrd’s Honda-Dallara caught a track sealer seam and got loose, washing up into Newgarden’s and spearing it before they collided with the outside wall. The initial hit sent Newgarden onto his side and the duo slid down the frontstretch before making a second hit into the outside wall at the entrance to turn one.
Daly was able to exit his car rather quickly, while Newgarden was helped from his machine by members of the Holmatro Safety Team. The Tennessee native was briefly on his feet before going back to the ground and sitting against his damaged race car. Safety workers then placed Newgarden on a stretcher, where he gave a thumbs-up to the fans before being taken into an ambulance and moved to the infield care center.
Upon being checked and cleared himself, Daly took full responsibility for the crash and offered words of encouragement and support for his friend.
“I was the rookie that made a mistake,” Daly said. “I just lost grip. It felt like I floated through the corner, and I couldn’t get out of (the throttle) quick enough. It was my mistake, and I should have recognized it. I knew Josef was coming and I just put too much load on the right rear.”
Daly also referenced speaking to Newgarden inside the care center.
“I apologized to him in there because it was my mistake, for sure. He’s a tough kid; I raced with him a lot growing up and I know he’ll work through things. I feel so bad to ruin someone else’s race, though, because you never want to take out someone else in a crash like that.”
Newgarden was originally reported by NBC Sports’ Marty Snider as being taken to Harris Methodist Hospital – the home hospital for TMS Medical Director Dr. Robert Genzel – for evaluation of a potential right shoulder and right wrist injury, but was later transported by air to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas as reported by NBC Sports.
The crash also damaged a portion of the SAFER Barrier on the frontstretch, which required welding work and an extended caution period, before returning rains forced a red flag after 29 laps under yellow.
Under that red flag, Newgarden’s team owner Ed Carpenter also spoke on the CNBC broadcast regarding his young driver and the emotions that go through a driver’s mind when witnessing a crash like the lap 42 incident.
Carpenter was scored fifth at the lap 71 stoppage for weather.
“To be honest it doesn’t matter whose car it is (when a crash like that happens), but I saw it was bright green,” Carpenter admitted. “At that moment, you don’t care about the car, you just want the driver to be okay. From what I know, it sounds like he (Josef) is doing OK. From what I can tell it could have been a whole lot worse.”
INDYCAR also announced that A.J. Foyt Racing tire changer Marty Armstrong had to receive stitches in his lower back in the infield care center, after a pit road incident saw Jack Hawksworth run over an air hose that broke and snapped back into Armstrong. After receiving the stitches, he was cleared and released.
Further updates on the ensuing rain delay will be announced as soon as they are released by INDYCAR.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
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