http://youtube.com/watch?v=
r4CCWoF-DCU[/youtube]
Mike Conway survived one of the most vicious crashes in Indianapolis 500 history, but he won’t be back in an IZOD IndyCar Series machine for a while.
According to Dr. Michael Olinger, the Indy Racing League’s director of medical services, Conway suffered a soft tissue injury to his left leg that was also fractured in the horrific wreck he had on Lap 199 with Ryan Hunter-Reay. He also sustained a compression fracture to one of his thoracic vertebrae and will have to wear a back brace for the next three months.
Conway had surgery on Sunday night at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to repair the fractures in his left leg and is expected to go under the knife again later this week. According to a Curt Cavin-penned story in the Indianapolis Star, DRR plans to compete with two cars this Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway but has yet to determine a replacement for Conway.
As for the other man in the crash, Hunter-Reay was slated to undergo surgery yesterday on his left thumb. However, he took that injury in a prior pit road incident. The League reports that he will be fitted with a carbon fiber splint, which should give him the green light to compete at Texas.
The grid for the next race will have at least one less car than expected. Due to both De Ferran Dragon Racing machines crashing on Sunday, the team will be unable to field a planned second entry for Davey Hamilton. Their full-time driver, Raphael Matos, will drive the lone car for DFDR.
Hamilton’s full-time racing career effectively ended with a crash in 2001 at TMS, and Saturday was to be his return to action on the 1.5-mile oval.
Video credit: MT89Motorsports on Youtube.
