A rain-delayed Indianapolis 500 led to a three-car accident in Turn 1 to kick off “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
It all started when rookie Tom Blomqvist of Great Britain in the No. 66 Meyer Shank machine lost control of his car on the grass pad on the inside of the first turn and spun.
He spun directly at 2022 Indy 500 winner and former Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson in the No. 28 Andretti, who had no time to avoid the crash and was immediately out of the race.
When this accident occurred, Arrow McLaren’s No. 6 driver, Callum Ilott, climbed onto the inside of the track at the same time Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 30 driver, Pietro Fittipaldi, attempted to duck to avoid the accident.
Fittipaldi made contact with Ilott and spun, the third and final victim of the first incident of the race.
Camera on board of Marcus Ericsson after crashing in the first turn of the Indianapolis 500
General view during a rain delay in the 108th race of the Indycar Series of the Indianapolis 500
Fans were asked to take shelter, and while most covered up, a small group of attendees were seen racing each other on foot along the Indianapolis concourse.
Track president J. Douglas Boles said it would take the track’s drying crew about two hours to dry the 2.5-mile oval, but the expectation is that the race would start about four hours late and all 200 laps would be completed. before nightfall.
“Our plan all along has been to hold the Indianapolis 500 today and I think we’re on track to do that,” Boles said.
Strong storms were expected all week, arriving around 12:45 pm, just when the green flag was supposed to drop.
Along with heavy rain, the band caused wind gusts of up to 45 mph and dangerous lightning, and video boards inside the racetrack advised fans who had already entered the track to seek shelter.
The race did not begin until hours later, when the flag fell at 4:44 p.m. Eastern Time.