Meyer Shank Racing driver Simon Pagenaud escaped serious injury in a crash on Saturday at Mid-Ohio Sports Car course in Lexington, Ohio, that the 2016 IndyCar champion called, “the wildest” of his career.
Pagenaud lost control of his car following brake failure at the end of a 180-mph straightaway during a Saturday morning practice session and barrel rolled through gravel.
IndyCar issued the following statement after Pagenaud left the infield care center:
Following this morning’s incident at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the driver of the No. 60, Simon Pagenaud, was evaluated and released by the INDYCAR medical team. As per INDYCAR protocol, Pagenaud has not been cleared to return to racing today. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow morning.
The 39-year-old Pagenaud appeared a bit shaken but okay after the incident. He was asked by NBC TV about his thoughts as he could feel the car slipping away.
“It’s gonna hurt, it’s gonna hurt,” Pagenaud said. “It was a hell of a ride or sure. Something broke and I couldn’t slow down. I tried to make the corner anyways. I know that gravel is deadly. Michael Andretti has done it. I guess I’m joining another legend, so that’s cool.
“I was just trying to bail out. Basically the car took off, I hit the gravel and it just rolled. Definitely the wildest. Funny thing, my first crash was actually the exact same circumstances.”
Pagenaud gave credit to his car’s aeroscreen device for saving him from serious injury.
“So glad I didn’t go over the tire wall,” he said. “Glad, so glad we have the aeroscreen. Really thankful for IndyCar and the aeroscreen safety.”
Mike Pryson covered auto racing for the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot and MLive Media Group from 1991 until joining Autoweek in 2011. He won several Michigan Associated Press and national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for auto racing coverage and was named the 2000 Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club’s Michigan Motorsports Writer of the Year. A Michigan native, Mike spent three years after college working in southwest Florida before realizing that the land of Disney and endless summer was no match for the challenge of freezing rain, potholes and long, cold winters in the Motor City.
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