IndyCar
IRL: Mario Andretti flips at Indy
INDIANAPOLIS, April 23, 2003 -- With less than five minutes to go in today's private test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it had been the best of days for Mario Andretti. Mario Andretti. Photo by indyracing.com/Ron McQueeney. Back in ...
Edited: Mar 27, 2008, 5:32 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
INDIANAPOLIS, April 23, 2003 -- With less than five minutes to go in today's private test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it had been the best of days for Mario Andretti.
Mario Andretti.
Photo by indyracing.com/Ron McQueeney.
Back in the saddle, wearing son Michael's green Team 7-Eleven driving suit, driving Tony Kanaan's #11 Dallara/Honda, working up to speed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The job at hand was to shake down Kanaan's ride for the month of May while Tony rehabs his broken left arm. There's a plate inserted and, well, bone take some time to attach to surgically-implanted plates.
So 63-year-old Mario answered the call and got up to speed promptly. When the media were ordered to go (it was a private test, after all) he was lapping in the 223mph range. He looked comfortable in the car. He looked confident.
Then, with less than five minutes to go before the track closed at 6pm, Kenny Brack lost it out of one and spread debris as he went down the chute. For Mario Andretti, it then became the worst of days.
Mario collected debris as it peppered the chute between one and two. He had been in Brack's wake to begin with.
Mario flipped after collecting the inside fence. After getting airborne, he did two complete revolutions and collected some catch fence.
He landed with the rubber side down, spent a short period in the infield care center, as did Brack and was released. Mario is heading home to Nazareth tonight.
Michael, of course, was white as a sheet when news of the accident reached pit road.
Knowing his Dad is okay and fully cleared by Indy Racing League medical director Dr. Henry Bock, Michael's calming down a little. Just a little.
The Dallara tub is a write-off, something team owner Michael Andretti will deal with tomorrow. But Mario isn't, so he can breathe again. As can we all.
Until Brack bought the wall, though, it had been a stellar test. The Andretti Green Racing team had made small changes throughout the afternoon as Mario recorded his 82 laps, dialing in the car. Andretti achieved a 225.4mph marker around the 2.5-mile oval that's been both bane and best of his existence.
"You guys made me look really good out there," Mario Andretti chimed to the crew as he left the track.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article CHAMPCAR/CART: Road America back on 2003 schedule
Next article CHAMPCAR/CART: American Spirit Team Johansson team news 2003-04-24
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Tony Kanaan
Arrow McLaren signs multi-year engine extension with Chevrolet
IndyCar
IndyCar
Arrow McLaren signs multi-year engine extension with Chevrolet
IndyCar retains Independent Officiating Board leadership and managing director Scot Elkins for 2027
IndyCar
IndyCar
IndyCar retains Independent Officiating Board leadership and managing director Scot Elkins for 2027
Arrow McLaren appoints Ryan Hunter-Reay as new Sporting Director
IndyCar
IndyCar
Madison
Arrow McLaren appoints Ryan Hunter-Reay as new Sporting Director
Latest news
Spire, Chris Gabehart reject Joe Gibbs Racing premise on deleted texts
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
5 h
Spire, Chris Gabehart reject Joe Gibbs Racing premise on deleted texts
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
9 h
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 10 h
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
11 h
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
Feature
Discover prime content
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe