Just yesterday, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway held its annual commemoration of the passing of the great John Ferrari. It was a sad day, and thousands of people came out to pay their last respects. Many famous faces, including Mario Andretti, made the trip to Indy to share in the sorrow with John’s family and friends. The event was a beautiful tribute to one of the greatest drivers ever. Unfortunately, the day wasn’t all fun and games. There were some traffic accidents and a few other mishaps that happened, which we will discuss below.
Several Near Misses
It’s bad enough when an accident happens on the road, but when it happens at a race track, it’s magnified. Several accidents and near misses were reported. Here’s a list of some of the accidents that happened yesterday:
- The first incident involved Juan Pablo Montoya, who was driving a Penske Racing car. He had an accident while driving on the backstretch of the track. Thankfully, no one was injured.
- Also on the backstretch, there was a near miss when Michael Andretti hit a curb. Fortunately, no one was hurt in that incident either.
- On the frontstretch, there was an accident when Juan Pablo Montoya hit the wall. It could have been much worse, considering that a chase car was following him. Fortunately, no one was injured in that accident either.
- Down the backstretch, there was a car accident when David Reutimann hit a guard rail. Fortunately, no one was hurt in that accident either.
- On the front stretch, there was also a near miss when Michael Andretti hit a curb. Luckily, no one was hurt in that incident either.
- Going back down the backstretch, there was a collision when Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti collided. Luckily, everyone was okay. This was a shame because it looked like Montoya was going to cause a serious accident until Franchitti’s car hit something and went airborne. It was a very cool sight to see.
- On the frontstretch, there was also a near miss when Michael Andretti hit a curb. Fortunately, no one was hurt in that incident either.
- Just past the halfway mark, there was an accident when Paul Tracy hit a guard rail. Luckily, no one was hurt in that accident either.
- At the end of the racetrack, there was an accident when Jimmy Vasser hit a wall. Unfortunately, two other cars were involved in that accident, and one person was injured. Vasser had to take a three-week break from racing to have the wall repaired. The season finale was canceled due to rain, and Vasser ended up taking part in what was supposed to be the season finale, but was canceled due to weather conditions. In the end, he did score two bonus points for his efforts though.
- During the race itself, several competitors took long pit stops, causing many accidents. One such accident happened when Ryan Hunter-Reay lost control of his DHL car in the middle of the track and hit a spectator. Luckily, the person was not seriously injured, and Reay was able to continue racing for the next lap. That was a rough day for everyone involved, especially for Reay and his team. They had to rebuild their car from the ground up, and it took them several weeks to finally get back on the track. Reay was also banned from competing in any more races by NASCAR. This was a big blow for Reay, considering that he had already missed one race due to this accident. It was also an upset for the fans who had already seen him dominate the field at times during the season. It was also a blow to the prestige of the IRL, which had just gone through a major rebranding effort.
- There were also several near misses on the track itself. Near miss #1 was when Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost control of his Chevrolet car and hit a wall. Luckily, no one was hurt in that accident. He was also able to continue racing for the next lap. Near miss #2 was when Ricky Johnson lost control of his Busch Beer car and hit a wall. Fortunately, no one was hurt in that accident either. Near miss #3 was when Paul Tracy lost control of his DHL car and hit a wall. Luckily, no one was hurt in that accident either. Near miss #4 was when Ryan Hunter-Reay lost control of his DHL car in the middle of the track and hit a spectator. Luckily, no one was hurt in that accident either.
- The day wasn’t all accidents and mishaps. There were some funny stories that happened as well. Here are some of them:
- In the beginning of the race, there was a brief but intense dust storm that obscured the track. It was a surreal scene, as drivers were furiously waving off the dust cloud. Several accidents were caused by the dust sheet, but no one was seriously hurt.
- During a lull in the action, Tony Stewart got into the spirit of Halloween by putting on a performance for the fans. He made several funny faces, scaring everyone in the stands. After the race, Stewart said he did that on purpose to scare the fans. If he needed another race, he could have also asked for sponsorship money back.
- Another funny story happened when David Reutimann got a flat tire. Rather than stopping, which would have been the sensible thing to do, he drove on for a few laps. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take it easy after that, and the tire eventually began to smoke. Reutimann eventually pulled over, and a spectator ran over and changed it for him. Reutimann was then able to continue racing for the remainder of the day. That’s one brave man.
- On the last lap, Juan Pablo Montoya hit the wall. The entire grandstand emptied as people ran for cover. Thankfully, no one was hurt in that accident.
One Major Accident
This is where things took a turn for the worse. At the end of the race, as Juan Pablo Montoya was coming down the back stretch, his car struck a guard rail. It was a very violent collision that sent Montoya into the wall several times. He eventually came to a stop, and the accident was called by the officials immediately. Several cars surrounded him as he was taken out of the car and onto a stretcher. The medical personnel worked feverishly on him for several minutes, but it was clear that he was beyond help. The cars kept going, not knowing what had happened until they saw his lifeless body being carried in the opposite direction. His death was declared to be a tragic accident by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Montoya’s widow filed a lawsuit against NASCAR and the IRL, but the suit was eventually settled out of court. We will never know what really happened on that last lap, but it is clear that Montoya was not trying to cause an accident. The question now is, why did this have to happen? Why did NASCAR have to take away one of the most dominant drivers of all time?
This is a question that has plagued the sport for years. It is not that Montoya was perfect, but he was definitely the best there was. A lot of credit is due to him for what he was able to accomplish. He was a four-time champion, won 51 races, and had four excellent years. He was also the last driver to win the Indianapolis 500 before it was restricted to engines producing less than 400 horsepower. Even today, many people consider Montoya to be the greatest driver that ever lived. Unfortunately, yesterday was an example of why the race track is not a place for leisure. It’s one thing to watch a race from the sidelines. It’s another thing to get up close and personal with it. This is where the accident probably wouldn’t have happened if Montoya had been driving on the street. Luckily, it was at the track, and the people who were gathered around saw the whole thing. What a way to end the day.
That, however, was not the end of the story. There was still one more surprise waiting for everyone. The cars were now coming down the back stretch, and there was a brief pause as each of the drivers took a deep breath. On the next lap, they were all going to hit the gas, and that’s when the accident happened. It was a domino effect, and before anyone knew it, a major accident had occurred. The initial report has not been released, but it is believed that there were two or three injuries. The drivers involved were not wearing helmets, and there was lots of property damage as well. The IRL has confirmed that there was an accident, but claims that it was a minor one. This is the kind of thing that could scuttle a season before it even started. Hopefully, everyone is okay.