Kimball Catches Air, INDYCAR Studies, At Pocono

Charlie Kimball makes contact in Turn 3 during qualifications for the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway. [Bret Kelley Photo]

Long Pond, PA – History repeats, as INDYCAR Series fans saw today at Long Pond, PA and Pocono International Raceway when Ganassi Racing’s Charlie Kimball spun going into the third turn at the tri-oval during qualifications for Sunday’s 500-mile race here.

Kimball was turning qualifying laps over the 2.5 mile circuit when the rear of the Dallara/Chevy racecar began to drift upward on the racing surface, eventually turning the car backwards at speed. As has happened previously this year (and especially so at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) the car then lifted into the air and drifted into and onto the SAFER barrier and the catch fence above.

For a brief period the right front tire can be seen traveling down the top of the barrier as if on a rail before sliding off and dropping back onto the track again. Kimball’s impact with the fence created a rent in the metal chain-link which required a 40-minute repair before qualifying could resume.

Kimball was checked and cleared at the infield medical center with only a small laceration to his chin.

The vexing propensity of the Chevrolet-powered cars in the 2015 season to get off the ground has prompted a number of aerodynamic changes since the racing began. Most recently the ad-dition of bumper plates to the rear of the Dallara chassis has been offered as a partial solution, which it appears to be, but not a complete resolution of the problem of flying cars.

Giving some clue as to the importance of the airborne lift concerns was the near-immediate ap-pearance of INDYCAR Series competition officials and medical specialists at the crash scene at PIR, taking photos and measurements to document on film and on video the precise circum-stances of impact and damage to car and track.

An end-of-season crash at Las Vegas International Raceway in 2011, which was eerily similar to Kimball’s lift-off and cascade down the SAFER barrier wall and the catch-fence, cast a winter-long pall over INDYCAR. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon lost his life in the inci-dent.

On the brink of bringing fans back to the open-wheel sport (after nearly two decades of decline) the organizers and administrators of INDYCAR don’t want to create a similar horror in 2015.

Allan Brewer

Allan Brewer covers IndyCar and other racing series for RacingNation.com. Allan is a fixture at the race track, armed with keyboard and camera, eager to take you inside open-wheel sport where the news is being made. He comes to RacingNation.com with multiple professional awards from the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AWWRBA). He began his motorsports writing career at FastMachines.com; and solely published IndyProRacer.com and A1GP.com, two award-winning websites for open-wheel racing’s junior leagues, prior to becoming IndyCar correspondent at Motorsport.com. He has also covered Formula 1, NASCAR, Formula E, the Indy Lights Series and its predecessor Indy Pro Series, NHRA events and major auto shows. His major interest outside of competition is automotive technology and its application to the cars we drive every day on the public highways.

racingnation.com

Related Posts

• 
  Sebring 2024
• 
  Giuseppe Victorious
• 
  Car or Driver