What is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway doing for the fan whose car was damaged during the Indy 500?
There’s no doubt that motorsports can be dangerous, but it’s not often that the danger extends to spectators and worse yet, their own cars as well.
Following last weekend’s Indy 500, one fan was left with a damaged car after what can only be considered a freak accident. Fortunately, they don’t have to worry about how they’re going to pay for repairs, after a rather generous offer.
Indy 500 fan to get new car after accident
If you watched last Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, then you probably caught a the surprising moment with less than 20 remaining, when the car of a fan was damaged after a tire flew toward the stands and into the parking lot. Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt, but the car had definitely seen better days. Fortunately, reports now confirm that Penske Entertainment has offered to replace the damaged vehicle.
Regarding the incident itself, it occured when when Felix Rosenqvist’s car impacted with the outside wall at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The result was that Rosenqvist’s car spun out of control and then hit Kyle Kirkwood’s No. 27 Dallara-Honda. That collision, caused Kirkwood’s car flip and skid upside down, at whic point the left-rear tire flew into the Turn 2 parking lot. Needless to say, the race was immediately red flagged with both drivers able to climb out of their cars without any need for assistance. As for the tire, it flew over fans’ heads according to reports but luckily nobody was seriously hurt except for one individual who was treated for minor injuries from flying debris that was not related to the actual tire.
What about the damaged car?
As we now know, Kirkwood’s tire hit a vehicle belonging to a woman named Robin Matthews. Indeed, Matthews found the situation unbelievable at first. “I didn’t see it come down,” she said. “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.”
In the end, Matthews’ white Chevrolet had to be towed, however, she was given a ride home by none other than Indianapolis Motor Speedway president J. Douglas Boles. To that end, it wasn’t long before an IMS spokesperson confirmed that Penske Entertainment will be giving her a new car soon. Further to that, it’s also understood that Roger Penske spoke with Dallara executives on Monday about how they can safe guard against such an incident occuring again in the future.