IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud walked away unhurt from a terrifying wreck throughout apply at Mid-Ohio on Saturday, the place his automobile from Meyer Shank Racing rolled seven occasions by way of a gravel entice earlier than coming to relaxation on its facet.

Pagenaud remained immobile in his automobile for a second because the AMR security crew rushed to examine on him, however the 2016 sequence champion was in a position to climb from the wreckage. Pagenaud sat on the gravel for a second to gather himself, then acquired to his toes and into the medical automobile, which whisked him to the observe’s care middle.

“It was a hell of a trip, that is for certain,” Pagenaud stated. “We had one thing go incorrect and I could not decelerate. I attempted to make the nook anyhow. I do know that gravel is lethal. Michael Andretti has executed it, so I suppose I joined one other legend, in order that’s cool.”

The wreck was eerily paying homage to Andretti’s crash 25 years in the past at Mid-Ohio, the place he additionally rolled by way of a gravel entice.

“I used to be simply making an attempt to bail out,” Pagenaud stated. “It is downhill, which is nuts. The automobile took off, I hit the gravel and it simply rolled. I am simply glad I did not go over the tire wall. So glad that we now have the aeroscreen — so grateful that the IndyCar has the aeroscreen.”

The screens are laminated polycarbonate and have been applied a number of years in the past to guard drivers from particles. On this case, the display screen not solely protected Pagenaud from the gravel but in addition saved his head from hitting the bottom and tire barrier.

IndyCar stated Pagenaud was evaluated and launched from the care middle however, in keeping with sequence protocol, wouldn’t be cleared to return to the observe Saturday. That meant Pagenaud would miss qualifying, which was scheduled for later within the day, however he may clear one other analysis Sunday that might permit him to race.