Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
IndyCar
INDYCAR:  Saturday Homestead Notebook
Scary crash in IPS; bad start for Marco Andretti.
Robin Miller  |  Posted March 23, 2007   Homestead, Fla.
Marco Andretti's opening race of 2007 was short and not so sweet. (LAT photo)

A violent accident, reminiscent of Kenny Brack's in 2003, seriously injured Indy Pro Series rookie Pablo Perez during Saturday's IPS race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

After tangling with Sean Guthrie on Lap 47, Perez was launched up into the fence in Turn 2, where the footbox of his car was ripped off and then he tumbled back onto the track where his car was struck by Shane Lewis.

The 24-year-old native of Argentina was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital and undergoing surgery on both legs Saturday night. His lower extremity injuries were termed "gruesome" by an observer in Turn 2 and it was believed surgeons are fighting to save both legs.

That crash, which claimed five of the 25 starters, followed another one in Turn 2 on Lap 22 when Wade Cunningham and Ryan Justice pounded the fence. Knocked unconscious, Justice had to be helicoptered to Jackson Memorial but was released a few hours later.

A total of 36 of the 57 laps were run under caution and that's how the opening race of the season finished.

"We had a big headwind coming down the straightaway so coming into Turns 1-2 the wind is hitting the front nose which is pinning the front and making the rear end unstable," said Alex Lloyd, who took the checkered flag ahead of Chris Festa and rookie Hideki Mutoh.

"I know that's what happened to Wade but I'm not sure about the other accident."

The ferocity of the accident resembled Brack's crash at Texas Motor Speedway when he ran over the wheel of another car going down the backstretch. He suffered extensive injuries, missed the entire 2004 season and returned to qualify for the 2005 Indianapolis 500.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series fans can watch Ron Hornaday, Jr. defend his Championship in High Definition at Daytona on SPEED. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

BAD START FOR MARCO

Marco Andretti's second race at Homestead-Miami Speedway was very similiar to his first – short and not so sweet.

Last year's rookie of the year parked his ill-handling car on Lap 53 and wound up last in 20th place.

"I'm not sure what was wrong, but it was undriveable and I've never been so scared in an IndyCar in my life," said the 20-year-old third generation driver who had been lapped three times before his AGR team opted to stop. "My engineer thinks we just missed on the setup and I feel like something broke, but it was bad news whatever it was."

In his IRL debut last year, Andretti broke a halfshaft and finished 17th.

"This obviously isn't the way we wanted to start the year," he sighed.


ONE BIG CRASH

The only accident in the IRL show came on Lap 93 when Jeff Simmons spun and collected Kosuke Matsuura and A.J. Foyt IV. All three drivers escaped injury, but their cars were wounded.

"I'm not sure what happened, I don't know if something broke or what but my car just snapped around," said Simmons, driving the Rahal Letterman entry sponsored by Ethanol. "We struggled all weekend and this is not how we wanted to open the season."
Danica Patrick was her own harshest critic after the race. (LAT photo)

DANICA MADE MISTAKE

Danica Patrick had just passed teammates Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti and moved into eighth place when she spun entering the pits on Lap 155 and wound up against the inside wall with a broken left-front suspension.

"I'm really pissed, because that was a dumb mistake," she said afterwards.
robin_miller's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robin Miller

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.