Indy Will Replace Fan's Car Destroyed by Flying Tire

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway says it will replace a car damaged by a flying tire detached from an IndyCar racer during a crash at the Indy 500, reports the Indianapolis Star.

A collision between Felix Rosenqvist and Kyle Kirkwood on lap 185 during Sunday’s race resulted in a tire flying over the turn 2 grandstands and into the parking lot, landing on a Chevrolet Cruze owned by racing fan and Indianapolis native Robin Matthews. Video of the aftermath shows the Cruze in a sorry state, with a smashed hood, quarter panel, and headlight.

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A spokesperson confirmed to the Indianapolis Star that Penske Entertainment, the Speedway’s owner, will provide Matthews with a new vehicle.

“I didn’t see it come down,” Matthews told the Indianapolis Star after the incident. “I came down and they said, ‘Robin, it’s your car!’ I thought, ‘No.’ I thought somebody was pranking me. It’s a car. It’s fine.”

Miraculously no one was seriously injured, with only one spectator receiving treatment at an infield medical center for minor injuries related to flying debris.

“I’ve talked to the Dallara guys, and we’re going to look at it,” IMS owner Roger Penske said to select media this week regarding the detaching tire. “We have tethers on those [wheels] and I’ve never seen a wheel come off of those. That, to me, is the probably the scariest thing, and we’ve got to fix that so it doesn’t happen again. Our technical guys are going to have a look at it.”

Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.