Scott Dixon escaped injury on lap 53 of the Indy 500 after a spectacular, fiery crash destroyed his race car.
The four-time IndyCar Series champion, who started on the pole and entered the race as the heavy favorite to win, ran into trouble when Jay Howard's car hit the outside wall and came back down the track. With nowhere to go, Dixon plowed into Howard.
phillipbupp: Scott Dixon flips wildly at Indianapolis. ABC IndyCar Racing: Indianapolis 500 https://t.co/Bn8IWSEqDS pic.twitter.com/xSaIyfveJC
— FanSportsClips (@FanSportsClips) May 28, 2017
Dixon's car went airborne, twisted, then flipped over before landing sidefirst on the SAFER Barrier on the inside of the track. It also tore down a catch fence in the area. The destroyed race car then bounced back on the track, landing cockpit first, then on its wheels, with the back of the car destroyed. Helio Castroneves' car passed under Dixon's car while it soared through the air.
Both Dixon and Howard climbed out of their cars under their own power, and both were evaluated and released by the track's medical center. However, Dixon returned to the center more than an hour later and left wearing a walking boot on his left foot, according to ABC.
A photographer standing behind the catch fencing was treated by track safety workers.
The incident brought out the red flag.
"(I'm) a little beaten up," Dixon told ABC. "It was definitely a bit of a rough ride. … I'm glad everybody was OK. It was definitely a wild ride for sure."
