INDIANAPOLIS – An incident on pit road early in Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway led to a brief red flag.
At least one pit crew member was injured in the incident. Zach Price, the rear-tire changer on Ryan Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford, got crushed between the No. 12 and another car that pancaked the side of Blaney’s car while trying to avoid a pileup on pit road.
Price appeared to suffer leg injuries, but was able to quickly crawl away across the asphalt to avoid being hit by other cars. The crash led to a red flag period for cleanup and for medical staff to attend to Price’s injuries. He was later taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital for further evaluation and released by the end of the day.
Numerous cars were involved in the crash at the entrance to pit road, including Justin Allgaier, the replacement for Jimmie Johnson after the four-time race winner tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
Word on Price’s condition remains unknown as he is currently being evaluated by medical officials. He was shown smiling and giving his teammates a thumbs up while being loaded into an ambulance during the red flag period.
The yellow flag came out at 5:48 p.m. when the red flag was rescinded.
Others involved in the incident included Martin Truex Jr., Chris Buescher, Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece and Brennan Poole.
The start of Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was delayed 55 minutes because of lightning strikes within eight miles of the Speedway. The 55-minute stoppage marked the fifth consecutive time – and the eighth overall since NASCAR’s season resumed in mid-May – that an event was delayed by weather.