FAST FORWARD: 2018 ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway

[@Manhunt1966]

All the best for Robert Wickens! 👍

[@crystaljon]

I'd say he's out for around a year and a half. -Broken legs -Broken right arm -Spinal injury -Bruised lung

[@Manhunt1966]

crystaljon ✌️ I read it today! Reminds me of Kenny Brack's crash a few years ago! I saw Cart 2001 at the Eurospeedway in Germany! The danger on the superspeedways is part of the game at its limit! Nevertheless, as a German I love the Superspeedways! ❤️ I wish Robert Wickens a healthy escape! Kind regards from Germany

[@AlexRodriguez-oo9yu]

The atmosphere there was quite grim after what happened to Wickens. Was great when everyone started cheering for Pigot when he got released haha

[@tommcglone2867]

@@Manhunt1966 Oh good lord you saw Zanardi's leg pulverising smash live!?!

[@Manhunt1966]

@@tommcglone2867 Unfortunately, I saw the crash. Nevertheless, this race was very exciting! The best event I saw!

[@iopiop670]

2018 Wickens at pocono 2017 Dixon at indy 2015 Kimball at pocono 2014 Aleshin at fontana 2013 Franchitti at houston 2011 3 Drivers at Vegas 2010 Conway at indy All those drivers had huge crashes into catch fences in 2010s, while in 2000s (IRL) only 3 drivers suffered same type of accident in official events (Brack , Hamilton and Briscoe). Just for note

[@felixseven8958]

In 2017 at Indy, Dixon barely touched the catch fence. He was airborne across the track alright, even with those wheel bumper pods, but the way he landed on the inside wall I was afraid then that it was like Greg Moore's fatal crash.

[@vjollila96]

Dixon just scraped safety fence most damage happend on landing on top of the wall

[@4aj14camracing9]

Felt really bad watching this happen in the grandstands and seeing the helicopter warming up is never a good sign. I really hope surgery goes well monday nt. have a speedy recovery Robert

[@Dalton1294]

The Robert Wickens crash reminded me of Carl Edward's crash at Talladega in 2009, Kyle Larson's crash at Daytona in 2013, and Austin Dillon's crash at Daytona in 2015

[@StormSliders]

And Bobby Allison's crash at Talladega in 1987.

[@HODIUSDUDE]

22 cars started, 14 finished, only 4 cars on the lead lap at the finish... This is like the "Good 'ol days".

[@izzyplusplusplus1004]

Bunch of them in the hospital too.

[@turboboy1983]

I’d love to see Alonso in an Andretti car next year going head to head with Rossi. Rossi is such an intelligent racer that gets right to the edge of the rules and his car. Fernando says he’s in his prime right now and Rossi is only getting stronger. At the very least, it’d force Townsend Bell to talk about someone other than Scott Dixon...

[@mapp4751]

Love this track but after the horrific accident to our fellow Canadian Wickens it through a pall over the race plus the depleted car count.i thought the race was a disappointment.i really hope Robert will make a full recovery! Indycar has to look at what they can do about these cars getting airborne,i think of Dixon at Indy in 2017? and Wheldon in Vegas a few years back!

[@anandguruji83]

GET WELL SOON ROBERT WICKENS 2:05

[@anandguruji83]

GET WELL SOON ROBERT WICKENS 2:05

[@mrjasonwhite73]

Going two wide into the Tunnel Turn is not a good idea :(

[@Grahamgusbull]

Although my man only came third today,well done Rossi....I'd rather see TK on the track,but enjoyed his contribution studio wise!

[@wamboldracing1990]

Was terrible watching this in person, My Heart dropped

[@felixseven8958]

Good luck and speedy recovery to Robert Wickens, that was scary! You know, on the pit road just before the race, Jan Beekhuis talked about that hole around sidepod that helps prevent the car from getting airborne. Also, after Wickens crashed, Paul Tracy mentioned his previous concerns that the catch-fence is still an issue. To me, it's clearly not a good solution as it rips the car apart and sends it into what seems like an endless rotation. The similar goes for stock-car racing. Also I never liked the downforce and grip levels increasing so much that they barely lift on some oval tracks where they used to brake for corners a decade or two ago. Maybe the cars feel safer to the drivers and maybe the racing is better looking for the fans and viewers, but in the heat of the moment I think it actually can make a driver over-confident about it.

[@izzyplusplusplus1004]

I agree.

[@izzyplusplusplus1004]

Only one correction though, and that is that nothing is going to prevent a car going airborne when it slams into the front of another spinning car just right. Robert Wickens is lucky to be alive, and Ryan Hunter-Wray should have lifted just a fraction sooner and stayed on the outside. So wjat if you get passed, if you stay in the race.

[@felixseven8958]

True that was really 1 in 1000 situation. But some critique can also be applied to Wickens, in my opinion loosing a bit of ground prior to the corner and not being there for the pass really, and still not backing off on lap 1. I think it was a misunderstanding between these two actually. It's like they both expected the other to back off first. Michael Andretti at the moment was maybe not aware of the severity and sounded harsh, but I think there is something to his statement about the crash. That is a tricky corner, like the kink at Nazareth but much faster. To me the outside entry line is the preferred one and also two cars won't really stick there at these speeds. If you back off there, it's to let the other guy through and pass through the corner safely. I really like what Wickens' experience, style and effort brought to this series. He is one of my favorites since the first race in St. Petersburg. I'm really sorry for his injuries and I guess he is probably out for this season, but I hope he gets well and back for the start of next season. But racing in open wheel series as the name implies is that much more dangerous than any other auto racing series. The drivers themselves bear that much more responsibility and caution too. Tracks like Pocono or Texas and Vegas where they practically go full throttle are a bit too fast in these cars. Remember how they cancelled the Texas race in 2001. The G the cars pulled there was enormous and tough on drivers. It's clear that F1 and Indycar made efforts in drivers' safety, during the 90s particularly after deaths of Ayrton Senna, then Jeff Krosnoff and Greg Moore. However it still went on in the 2000s, reducing engine power, but they still went faster and faster in the corners due to chassis, aerodynamic and tire research and improvement. I understand it's hard to back off from this much progress in race car development. At the same time, it seems to me that the desire from both the fans and series directors to "increase the competition", brought too much regulations and changes in the last two decades or so. And it all goes over the back of the drivers. They really need more time allowed to get grips on it, and see what's possible and what is definitely not in actual race conditions. Not just winter testing. Also, with Indycars we have one chassis and two engine types for some time now. The racing is still the same, sometimes boring with someone dominating, sometimes very exciting from start to finish.

[@BandaiNamco2005]

Get well soon Robert Wickens

[@healthyone100]

good crowd looks like the people coming back at pocono!

[@4aj14camracing9]

dominick virgilio i thought it was the biggest crowd since indy car came back to pocono

[@wamboldracing1990]

I was surprised how many people were there, After the constant green flag laps though It got boring and I left on lap 108. I went out to the parking lot and hundreds of other people were leaving as well. I was parked by tons of cars and the nearest car by me was 14 cars down from me. There was so much traffic leaving half way through the race it was unbelievable.

[@yancheng9492]

I have a great idea to improve This from the start of next season and it’s a race at Monaco and add the ‘Halo’ cockpit safety device on the cars also adding T-Wing and Shark Fin at the back

[@ceeam]

Was that the longest (in miles) green run in Indycar history?

[@alexcov05]

Probably this. It was 470 miles

[@HODIUSDUDE]

In modern history..I believe so. At 189 laps (472.5 miles) it is a very long green flag stretch. The 2013 Indianapolis 500 had 133 laps of continuous green (332.5 miles). The following year, the 2014 Pocono 500 went 158 laps of continuous green (395 miles). However, in 2011 IndyCar released an official "Historical Record Book" in which they claim a variety of races from various governing bodies (ACA,AAA,USAC,CART,CRL,IRL and CCWS) dating back to 1909. So, that would depend if you factor in events like the 480 mile long Cactus Derby (for example). You must also consider that full course cautions were not used prior to 1935.

[@luwoody938]

The only caution-free run longer than this one in American Championship history, I believe, would be the 1915 Minneapolis 500, as all 500 miles in the race was under green since only mechanical failures contributed to retirements. That race itself, however, is a total failure and would never see a second edition. The Indy 500s of that era would see local yellows shown in case a car crashed and had to be cleaned from the track, and I personally would count them as cautions. Another race might be considered would be the 1909 Cactus Derby, ran 480 miles, but that was a point-to-point race from LA to Phoenix so it's not counted.

[@HODIUSDUDE]

Lu Woody...1915 Chicago Derby also a 500 mile race. I don't see any mention of incidents that would cause a slow down in that race either. Had to read up on the Minneapolis race, that was entertaining..What a finish!

[@luwoody938]

Oh it's my fault to forget about the June race in Chicago. That 500-miler is pretty peaceful since nobody crashed on the steep banks of Maywood Park, the drivers avoided the lower groove full of oil to run high in these turns. The Minneapolis 500 did have a dramatic finish by half a car length, but is a failure commercially, as only 30,000 people paid for entrance despite a 100,000 grandstand been built and the hotels went sell-out a week before. The Twin Cities would not be capable for such a crowd in the 1910s, and those workers in the city wouldn't afford a $2 for entrance and an extra $2.5 for a seat, which equals the salary for a full day's hard work. The track is poorly built, the construction workers unpaid, and cars begun to fall apart after some 100 miles of racing. The September race was immediately cancelled after the 500, the 1916 races proved nothing but more failures, and the Speedway went into bankrupcy in August 1916, before a final race held in 1917 and the land rented to a hog farmer, then rebuilt into the Speedway Field.

[@EdwardOverell]

where can i find the full race? did they upload it?

[@stananderson5218]

Should Indycar mandate small gauge fencing at all tracks so noses won't catch as easily? Something maybe an inch apart? Who's the engineer here?

[@Kyle86910]

literally just noticed TK was in the announcers booth

[@chicagodouble-doinkers1716]

Idc how dangerous this track is they need to add it back on the schedule

[@monks311]

Biggest Crash in 2018.

[@ceeam]

Rudy Flores A question I don't see discussed anywhere: would it happen if they'd kept the wheel guards (bumpers)?

[@Heksu99]

It would, RHR spun after small tap to side. Wickens got launched from RHR's car

[@alexcov05]

ceeam No because it was FL tyre to FR tyre contact

[@cnon.]

Biggest Indycar crash since 2011.

[@nicoleragusa8773]

ceeam look at Dixon’s Indy crash 2017 they don’t help

[@theshakers235]

2013 sato International grand prix

[@theshakers235]

2010 Conway Indy

[@herseyracingseriesandmore2907]

#prayforwickens

[@theshakers235]

2015 Davison Jones Rayhal hunter ready power International grand prix

[@theshakers235]

On my Indy car tracks huge crashes

[@theshakers235]

2016 New garden texas

[@theshakers235]

2014 aleshin texas

[@computer20000]

Robert Wickens GET WELL

[@theshakers235]

2017 Dixon indy

[@theshakers235]

2010 bourdeas Indy

[@funny_fuzee4637]

That reminds me of dario crash

[@theshakers235]

2018 wickens pocono

[@theshakers235]

2011 power indy

[@1omegapower900isnotsus]

pocono is dangerous

[@vjollila96]

safety fences are not the best solution but without them Wickens would have got thrown to trees and kill him so they did their job. But thats the place where safety should improve

[@HistoricalWonder720]

I mean theres nothing completly safe when you have cars doing 230mph.

[@HadrixSan]

Big ovals are dangerous

[@blankpage555]

To have TK commenting is irrelevant and boring to say the least; inappropriate for TV

[@chrisautosport]

The majority of the comments I saw on Twitter really liked him joining the booth, myself included.

[@Vilks66]

When is Indycar going realize ovals and open wheel cars don't mix. It's so stupid and dangerous. If most keep the Indy 500 and drop all other ovals.

[@benbeckwith9027]

I wish IndyCar would stop racing at these very dangerous super speedways. They are killing all of their stars.

[@theshakers235]

2012 Conway indy