Indianapolis mayor hit by debris from IndyCar crash, not seriously injured
The mayor of Indianapolis was hit by debris from a crash at the start of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon.
Mayor Greg Ballard was waving the green flag for the start of the race when polesitter Sebastian Saavedra's car stalled. A majority of the field avoided him as his car sit perilously at the front of the field, but Carlos Munoz ran into the back of him and then Saavedra's car was blasted by Mikhail Aleshin.
The unidentified object hit Ballard in the elbow while he held the green flag that symbolically starts the race, said mayoral spokesman Marc Lotter.
The medical staff looked over Ballard’s arm and determined he was not seriously injured, Lotter said.
The three drivers involved in the crash walked away from their cars.
The IndyCar Series instituted standing starts on road and street course events in the 2013 season. While cars have stalled on the grid before, it's the first time the polesitter has stalled, which created a chicane for everyone behind him, one of the worst-case scenarios for a standing start.
However, after so many cars had gotten past Saavedra, it's hard not to wonder why the incident didn't end up being entirely avoidable.
It was the first time the IndyCar Series had run the road course at the speedway, which has been used for Formula 1 and sports car races previously. After the Grand Prix's conclusion, the focus shifts to the Indianapolis 500, which is Sunday, May 25.
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