Stefan Wilson hurt in Indy crash (video), will miss the 500; Power fastest in last practice
Here's video highlights of the day, including the crash involving Stefan Wilson and Katherine Legge (see between 1:06 and 1:49 on the tape)
The rumor mills are working overtime on who will replace Stefan Wilson in Sunday's Indianapolis 500 after Wilson suffered a fractured vertebrae in a crash during Monday's practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and has been medically ruled ineligible to participate in the 107th Running of the Greatest Spectacle In Racing.
Naturally, the first rumor was that Graham Rahal might move to replace Wilson. But that appears unlikely, as Rahal is a Honda driver, while Wilson and DRR/Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers is a Chevrolet-powered team.
* Additional rumors that were growing like wildfire late Monday night included the possibility of either Sage Karam or Indy 500 veteran J.R. Hildebrand will replace Wilson in the No. 24. Both Karam and Hildebrand have long Chevrolet-powered lineage.
However, there could be arguments from IndyCar regulars given that both Karam and Hildebrand have missed all practices and qualifying thus far this month, and will only have Carb Day as their lone time in the car before the green flag falls on Sunday morning.
* And then there's this possibility -- albeit it also seems remote -- where Legge, who qualified 30th for the race in a one-off appearance for RLL and Honda, would move to Wilson's car (he qualified 25th), and the younger Rahal would then drive in Legge's soon-to-be repaired Honda-powered and RLL-owned ride.
Here's Legge's statement from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing on what happened in Monday's incident:
”The cars in front were all checking up and I lifted as much as I could and did two downshifts and started to hit the brakes but it wasn't enough so I unfortunately got into the back of Stef (Stefan Wilson) and we both ended up in the wall. I know this is another blow to the team after yesterday and those guys just don't deserve it. I'm fine and happy to know that Stefan is too.”
There had been speculation earlier Monday that RLL might pull Jack Harvey out of his qualified car and replace him with his teammate and team owner's son, but that appears unlikely due to a variety of reasons, including sponsorship obligations and differences between the two RLL cars and drivers.
Here's press releases both from Wilson's team, updating his status, as well as IndyCar's press release on Will Power being the fastest driver in Monday's final practice session before the track goes dark until Carb Day.
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Press release from Wilson's team, DRR/Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers
SPEEDWAY, IN (May 22, 2023) – Update on driver Stefan Wilson following his incident Monday with Katherine Legge during the afternoon practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
At 2:11 p.m. (ET), Wilson, driving the No. 24 DRR/Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers Chevrolet, was struck from behind by Legge’s IndyCar and forced into the outside safer barrier in turn one at the 2.5-mile oval.
After being transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital for further tests, it was disclosed that Wilson suffered a fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebrae and will stay overnight at the hospital for further tests and observation. Based on this type of injury, Wilson will not be allowed to compete in this Sunday’s 107th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.
The DRR/Cusick Motorsports team will have more information in due course.
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IndyCar press release
INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 22, 2023) – Reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Will Power led practice Monday for the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge that started Race Week.
2018 “500” winner Power topped the two-hour, 10-minute session with a top lap of 39.2633 seconds, 229.222 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske as the starting field of 33 drivers continued to hone setups for Race Day. Two-time series champion Power will start 12th in the race.
“We’ve been having vibration problems,” Power said. “I think we got somewhat on top of that. Ran at the front, ran at the middle, ran at the back, and I think the car’s pretty good. I think we’re in a good spot. We have good horsepower. I think we’re in good shape.”
Six-time series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner Scott Dixon was second at 229.184 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Two-time “500” winner Takuma Sato ended up third at 228.382 in the No. 11 Deloitte Honda fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing.
NTT P1 Award winner Alex Palou, who led the fastest Indy 500 field with the fastest “500” pole speed in history Sunday, was fourth today at 227.392 in the No. 10 The American Legion Honda, putting three Chip Ganassi Racing cars in the top four.
2013 "500" winner Tony Kanaan, making his final NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in this race, rounded out the top five at 227.094 in the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
Teams wasted little time getting busy during the short day on the 2.5-mile oval, as all 33 drivers combined to turn 2,005 laps (5,012.5 miles). Action was halted 71 minutes into the session due to the first accident of the event, a two-car crash involving Katherine Legge and Stefan Wilson.
The No. 44 Hendrickson Honda driven by Legge made contact with the No. 24 DRR Cusick CareKeepers Chevrolet of fellow British driver Wilson in Turn 1, with both cars making contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 1. Legge’s car continued down the track and made secondary contact with the SAFER Barrier in Turn 2.
Legge climbed from the car without assistance and was evaluated and released from the IU Health Emergency Medical Center. Wilson was conscious and alert when removed from the car by the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
The next on-track session will be the final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET Friday on Miller Lite Carb Day. The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).