This is one of the gnarliest IndyCar wrecks in some time and amazingly Josef New Garden (who got the worst of it by a ton) was able to get out of his car under his own power. Yes, he suffered a broken shoulder and hand but when you watch this video you’ll see a mashup that would have been a guaranteed fatality just a couple of years ago. The confluence of race track design improvements and car design improvements all worked together to keep Newgarden in one piece and able to fight on after he heals.
The crash happened on Sunday at Texas because while the race was supposed to be contested on Saturday, water seeping through the track due to recent heavy rains delayed it a day. The cavernous track was all but devoid of spectators when this wreck happened but the television cameras were still there and as a result we have this video that is shown with natural sound and not the commentary from the booth.
Texas Motor Speedway has SAFER walls and that helped to lessen the multiple impacts that Newgarden has with the wall. The first one happens after Conor Daly’s car gets sideways and then climbs the track, mashing Newgarden into the wall. The two destroyed cars then slide in a weird manner with Daly on what is left of his wheels and Newgarden on his side. The then impacts the wall head first. We literally mean HEAD first. The safer walls and the halo around the driver’s head is what legitimate saved his life. Year ago that wold have been a fatal wreck ever single time.
The fact that two men walked away from the calamity you are about to watch tells you everything you now about modern raceme design and construction.
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