IndyCar star Kyle Kirkwood was involved in a horror crash in Sunday's Indy 500 and new footage and audio has emerged of the terrifying moment his car was flipped with his head hanging precariously close to the tarmac.
With just 17 of the 200 laps remaining at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Andretti Autosport driver Kirkwood was tagged by Felix Rosenqvist after he lost control of his Arrow McLaren, spinning Kirkwood backwards and forcing him into the wall.
With sparks flying and Rosenqvist's rear left tire flying over the fence, Kirkwood's car was flipped upside down and it dragged along the floor for a significant distance before eventually grinding to a halt, with the safety structure preventing his head from hitting the floor.
While it was still moving, Kirkwood's engineer asked on team radio "Buddy, you OK?" but Kirkwood did not immediately respond. After being asked again, the 24-year-old replied: "I'm alright, just get me the f*** out of here."
That was easier said than done, with his engineer instructing him to stay put. He said: "Yeah, copy that. Help's on the way. Just sit tight, don't unbuckle, you'll fall out of the car. Sit tight."
Rosenqvist was able to walk away from his car, while Kirkwood was stretchered away to be assessed. He later tweeted a picture of himself with his thumbs up, accompanied by the message: "All good everyone, just disappointed. Thought we could win today. Massive congrats to Josef Newgarden."
Newgarden claimed his first Indy 500 victory and drank the traditional bottle of milk on the podium, passing reigning champion Marcus Ericsson – a five-year Formula 1 veteran with Caterham, Sauber and Alfa Romeo – with one lap remaining in an incident-packed race in Indianapolis, with three red flags in the final 15 laps.
"It was a fight," Newgarden said. "It was just a big fight. It is not easy to win this race. It is the most difficult race in the world to win."
Kirkwood is 12th in the season standings after failing to finish on Sunday. He was running in 10th when his race ended in frightening fashion.
It was incredibly fortunate that no one was hurt as Rosenqvist's tire flew high into the air and over the fence at the side of the track, landing in a car park where it hit a vehicle.
The showpiece event of the IndyCar season is in the books, but the halfway point is yet to be reached with the drivers back on the track in Michigan for Sunday's Detroit Grant Prix.
