LONG POND, Pa | The Latest: Pocono repairs damage following Wickens' wreck
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LONG POND, Pa | The Latest: Pocono repairs damage following Wickens' wreck
LONG POND, Pa — The Latest from the IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway (all times local): 4:45 p.m.
Pocono Raceway president Ben May says about 80 feet of fence and a few posts were damaged in the wreck that sent IndyCar driver Robert Wickens to the hospital.
The Pocono staff needed about two hours to repair the track and make it safe for the rest of the race. Sebastien Bourdais raised concerns about the quality of the repairs and condition of the fence before he got back in the car.
May said: “It may not be the prettiest job but it’s going to be safe.” ___ 4:35 p.m.
The IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway has resumed after a two-hour delay following a crash that sent driver Robert Wickens to the hospital.
Wickens was taken by helicopter for medical treatment following the first-lap accident. The Canadian driver was attempting to pass Ryan Hunter-Reay when the two cars slightly touched. That caused Hunter-Reay’s car to careen into the wall and Wickens’ car was pulled along for the ride. Wickens launched over Hunter-Reay’s car and sailed into the catchfence, where the tub of his IndyCar spun several times before crashing back onto the track.
Only eight laps had been completed in the 500-mile race before the race was stopped. ___ 4:05 p.m.
The IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway remains on hold following a crash that sent driver Robert Wickens to the hospital.
James Hinchcliff was caught up in the wreck and held his wrists as he slowly left the car. Hinchcliff was cleared and released from the medical center. He declined to comment to reporters out of respect for Wickens.
Wickens was taken by helicopter for medical treatment following the first-lap accident. ___ 3:05 p.m.
IndyCar driver Robert Wickens is apparently being taken by helicopter for medical treatment following a first-lap accident at Pocono Raceway.
The Canadian driver was attempting to pass Ryan Hunter-Reay when the two cars slightly touched. That caused Hunter-Reay’s car to careen into the wall and Wickens’ car was pulled along for the ride. Wickens launched over Hunter-Reay’s car and sailed into the catchfence, where the tub of his IndyCar spun several times before crashing back onto the track.
Medical workers calmly attended to Wickens, who was taken to an ambulance before he was transported to the helicopter. The impact of the wreck tore out a large section of fencing that IndyCar said would take at least one hour to repair.
Justin Wilson died from a head injury in 2015 when a piece of debris from a crashed car bounced off the track at Pocono Raceway and hit his helmet. ___ 2:40 p.m.
Robert Wickens went soaring into the fence at Pocono Raceway in a scary wreck that brought the IndyCar race to a halt.
Wickens connected with Ryan Hunter-Reay and shot into a 360-degree spin into the fence. The fence was destroyed and part of Wickens’ Honda scattered over the track.
Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliff and Takuma Sato were among the drivers involved in the wreck.
Hinchcliff seemed to be in pain, grabbing his wrists as he slowly left his car.
The race was red flagged and drivers were allowed out of their cars. ___ 2:30 p.m.
Graham Rahal wrecked Spencer Pigot at the start of the IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway.
Rahal started 18th and got into the back of Pigot before the race even got to green. Pigot spun out and hit the wall. He left the car and was out of the race.
Rahal stayed on the track with a damaged Honda. Rahal was hit with a drive-through penalty on the restart for avoidable contact. ___ 2:15 p.m.
Lee Greenwood completed racing’s version of “The Double.”
Greenwood performed the “The Star Spangled Banner” and his signature song “God Bless the U.S.A.” before the race the day after he did the same at the NASCAR race in Bristol, Tennessee.
Kurt Busch, who won Saturday’s race, was the last driver to attempt “The Double,” completing an IndyCar and NASCAR race on the same day.
Busch failed to finish. But Greenwood went out on a high note and nailed both. ___ 2:10 p.m.
The IndyCar race at Pocono Raceway is underway.
Will Power began his bid for a third straight Pocono win from the pole. Power and Josef Newgarden made it a 1-2 start for team owner Roger Penske.
Scott Dixon leads the championship standings as he chases his fifth IndyCar championship.
Dixon holds a 46-point lead over 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion Alexander Rossi in the standings. Rossi, Newgarden and Power all have Dixon in sight with four races left in the IndyCar season.
Dixon starts an unfavorable 13th.
By Associated Press
