Wheldon's Dallara-Honda following his practice crash. (Shawn Payne/IndyCar photo)
Dan Wheldon sustained minor injuries to a foot Friday when his car crashed and flipped during practice at Texas Motor Speedway, and it remained uncertain if he would participate in Friday night's qualifying session.
Wheldon was practicing before qualifying for Saturday’s Bombardier Learjet 550k when his No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda hit the wall in Turn 4. The car slid sideways down the frontstretch, then flipped when it hit the infield turf.
Safety workers turned the car over and helped Wheldon climb from the cockpit. He limped into an ambulance and was taken to the infield care center.
“My right foot hit the side of the tub really hard,” related Wheldon. “I think, unfortunately, we had a failure. It wasn't through preparation of the team; the team always does an excellent job. It was probably one of those things. I'm sure the team will look very hard to see what it was. It’s a shame because the car was incredibly strong. It wasn't even necessarily a bump. The front of the car reached maximum load. Right before that point, something broke and it shot me straight (into the wall).”
X-rays on his right ankle were negative, an IndyCar Series official said, but the ankle was wrapped and iced. The official said Wheldon would be re-evaluated prior to qualifications, which were scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. ET. If he is unable to participate in qualifying, Wheldon will be forced to start at the back of the 28-car field for Saturday‘s race.
At the time of the crash, Wheldon had recorded the second-fastest lap of the practice session.
