Scott Dixon Escapes Wild-Wild Crash At Indy 500 Unhurt

It was a week of mixed emotions for IndyCar 500 driver Scott Dixon having secured a pole, dealt armed robbery and a highly dangerously crash on race day which he miraculously survived. Dixon had one of the most violent crashes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day, but managed to walk away from it unhurt but managed to give a strong reminder of how dangerous the oval track turns out to be.

REPLAY: @scottdixon9 checked, cleared, and released after this turn 1 incident during the #Indy500 at @IMS. #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/gaD950M27F

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 28, 2017

2008 winner and pole-sitter Dixon was acing the Indy 500 when disaster struck on Lap 53. Schmidt Peterson driver Jay Howard ran high at Turn 1 and hit the outside wall and came down the track directly into Dixon's path. Travelling at 350 kmph, there was no time for Dixon to react and his Ganassi Dallara-Honda race car launched off the back of Howard's into the air for a few seconds. Dixon landed on top of the inside SAFER Barrier tearing down part of the fence in the process. Dixon's car then flipped onto its top and back onto to its one remaining wheel. The chassis was torn clean from the rest of the car.

Both Dixon and Howard walked away from the crash unscathed and the medical centre too cleared the drivers. Dixon however had a sore left ankle and wore a padded boot later. The crash warranted the red flag for 30 minutes as the track had to be repaired. Fernando Alonso was leading the race at the time when the race was stopped.

REPLAY: @scottdixon9 incident in turn 1 at @IMS #Indy500 #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/JaK8lfx4nt

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 28, 2017

"Just a little beaten up," said Dixon in an interview. "I'm just glad everyone was ok." The incident also highlighted the safety levels on the modern day Indy cars. While the chassis tore into half, the driver shell remained intact saving the Dixon, while Howard too survived with minimal damages despite twin crashes. Thanking the safety of these, Dixon said, "It's just a wild ride, you hold on and believe in the safety progress we have made over the last few years."

REPLAY: The view from @h3lio's on-board camera during the @scottdixon9 incident in turn 1 at @IMS #Indy500 #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/fAClTezE41

— IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 28, 2017

The last week saw the 2008 Indy 500 champion secure a pole last week, but was robbed at gun point a few hours later while ordering food at a drive-thru restaurant. The crash however, certainly pushed all limits on the 36-year-old.

The Indy 500 was eventually won by Takuma Sato for Andretti Autosport after battling Team Penske's Helio Castroneves for a good 11 laps. Fernando Alonso, who also made his Indy 500 debut couldn't finish the race due to an engine blow out. However, Alonso put up a great performance leading the race for 27 laps and clocking the highest average speed. The F1 driver was in the seventh place when he retired from the big oval.