Rookie driver Alex Lloyd crashes during practice for Indy 500
May 9, 2008INDIANAPOLIS - Rookie driver Alex Lloyd did not break any bones in a hard crash during practice for the Indianapolis 500 that left him hospitalized.
Lloyd was taken off the track Friday complaining of neck pain. Though a CT scan showed no broken bones, he was kept at the hospital as a precaution.
Another accident Friday occurred in the pits, where Dale Coyne Racing crewman Charles Buckman was knocked to the ground by Danica Patrick's incoming car. Buckman was taken to the hospital with a concussion and cuts to his face and scalp.
And there was a minor crash involving rookie Mario Dominguez of Mexico, who was not hurt when his car tapped the inside wall at slow speed in the warmup lane. Dominguez was examined at the track hospital and cleared to drive.
Lloyd, the champion last season in the IRL's developmental Indy Lights Series, completed a lap at more than 223 m.p.h. and lost control of his Dallara in the first turn. He struck the outside wall with the rear of the car and continued into the second turn.
The 23-year-old Englishman was examined at the track's infield hospital, then taken to Methodist Hospital for further tests.
