A major stack-up on pit road halted Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race with just 15 of 161 laps complete at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, knocking several teams from the race and injuring a Team Penske crew member.
The chain-reaction crash near the back of the line of cars blocked the path entering pit road, pushing the No. 15 Chevrolet of Brennan Poole into the side of Ryan Blaney’s Team Penske No. 12 Ford. That contact squeezed Penske tire-changer Zach Price between the two cars.
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Price scrambled away from the melee, then gave a smile and thumbs-up for TV cameras as he was loaded into an ambulance. Price was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.
After the race, Team Penske provided an update on Price’s condition through a statement: “Zach Price, rear tire changer for the No. 12 Menards/Atlas Ford Mustang, was treated and released from Methodist Hospital. He will travel back to North Carolina with the team for further evaluation.”
Blaney, who finished 32nd after a Stage 2 crash, also provided his thoughts on Twitter about Price.
Glad Zach Price is feeling alright. Thats a scary scene for sure, even worse when I saw the replay. Them guys are warriors. All of them.
— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) July 6, 2020
The cars of Corey LaJoie, Justin Allgaier, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. were also among those involved. Allgaier was making his first Cup Series start since 2016 as a substitute for Jimmie Johnson, who revealed a positive test for COVID-19 on Friday.
The red flag lasted 11 minutes, 17 seconds. The race had already been delayed 55 minutes at the start because of a series of lightning strikes in the vicinity of the 2.5-mile track.