IndyCar’s Stefan Wilson will MISS the Indianapolis 500 after fracturing a vertebra in a horror crash during practice – eight years after his brother died on the track
- Wilson fractured his 12th thoracic vertebra and was hospitalized overnight
- He had qualified for the fifth Indianapolis 500 of his career before the wreck
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A hard, horrific crash during practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway resulted in a broken vertebra for Stefan Wilson, meaning he will miss Sunday’s Indy 500.
After being taken to the hospital with a neck brace and stretcher following a crash with Katherine Legge, Wilson suffered a fracture of his 12th thoracic vertebra along the lower part of his mid back.
That means he will exit Sunday’s Indy 500 after qualifying for the fifth time in his career.
According to his team, Dreyer & Reinbold/Cusak Motorsports, Wilson spent the night in a hospital to undergo “further testing and observation.”
It was the first wreck of the two-week run-up to the 107th running of ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’.
Stefan Wilson was rushed to the hospital after a bad crash in practice for the Indianapolis 500
Wilson (left) crashed with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Katherine Legge (right)
Wilson was immobilized and wearing a neck brace, but quickly gave a thumbs up after the security team spent about 10 minutes gently extricating him from his crumpled car. Legge climbed out of her machine on her own.
The two went through turns 1 and 2 about an hour into the two-hour practice when the entire field seemed to slow down.
Legge quickly approached Wilson and hit the rear of his Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car, sending them skidding into the wall. Legge bounced off with a glancing blow, but Wilson was almost aimed head-on as he made contact with the SAFER barrier.
“I can tell you he’s fine,” said Dr. Julia Vaizer, chief medical director for IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, added that Wilson was taken to the hospital for advanced imaging. “He’s resurrected.”
Wilson’s brother, Justin Wilson, was the last IndyCar driver to die on the track. He was competing in a race in Pocono in 2015 when Sage Karam crashed in front of him, and a piece of his car hit Wilson in the helmet, sending him into the wall.
The two went through turns 1 and 2 about an hour into the two-hour practice
Legge is the only female driver in this year’s field and she was the only driver from struggling Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing to make the 33-car grid on the first day of qualifying.
Christian Lundgaard and Jack Harvey joined her on Sunday as Harvey beat teammate Graham Rahal in the dying seconds in a dramatic qualifying run.
It was unclear whether Legge’s car could be repaired or if she would receive an entirely new chassis.
“I know it’s another blow to the team,” she said. ‘After yesterday those guys don’t deserve it. It’s not right.’