The Indianapolis 500 featured one of the most terrifying crashes in years after the No. 77 car of Jay Howard clipped the wall and came down the track in front of Scott Dixon’s No. 9 car. Dixon, unable to slow down and avid Howard’s car, ran directly into the side of Howard and went airborne, flying into the top of the wall as his car came apart and burst into flames.
Dixon’s car flipped over and bounced around on the ground, but the safety cell managed to stay intact and Dixon was able to get out of the car under his own power and walk away from the carnage.
Oh my god it’s incredible that Scott Dixon is OK. pic.twitter.com/2nA1DRIIRo
— Nick Bromberg (@NickBromberg) May 28, 2017
The best efforts of track safety, such as the safer barrier below the fence on the inside wall, were rendered helpless by Dixon’s car launching into the air and landing on top of the wall and bouncing around. However, the vast improvements in car safety saved Dixon from terrible injury and a significant tragedy at the Indy 500.
The alternate angles of the wreck show how Dixon’s car launched off the side of Howard’s car like a ramp to send him into the air — the view from Helio Castroneves’ car of Dixon’s impact onto the top of the wall is especially chilling.
https://twitter.com/PhilKenSaban/status/868879775871512587
Luckily he managed to escape injury, but it served as a reminder of just how quickly things can turn dangerous at 220 miles per hour.
