Mario Andretti in major crash while testing at Indy, but walks away...

[alexjohnson16]

link to video

Indianapolis, April 23 - Just before 6 p.m. Mario Andretti crashed between turns one and two after hitting debris from Kenny Brack's car.

WTHR captured exclusive video of Mario flipping several times and then landing on all fours. Mario walked away from the accident.

The 63-year-old Andretti was at the Speedway Wednesday testing a car for his son Michael.

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Amazing that he walked away from this, especially at 200+ mph and at 63 years of age.

 

[minendo]

That was a hell of a crash for someone just to walk away. Amazingly he landed upright and hit the fence just right to prevent more damage.

 

[Zim Hosein]

God bless modern engineering

 

[notfred]

How freaking cool would it be to be test driving race cars when you're 63?

 

[NFS4]

I'd like to see CART/IRL deaths vs Busch/Winston Cup deaths for the past 15 years

 

[NewSc2]

So Nascar cars can be built like that, to withstand 150mph crashes and stuff, but if you get into a car crash at 120mph on the freeway, you're pretty fcked?

 

[alexjohnson16]

Originally posted by: NFS4
I'd like to see CART/IRL deaths vs Busch/Winston Cup deaths for the past 15 years

The reason that BGN/WC Deaths are higher than open wheeled racing lies in a few factors.... The stock cars are heavier than open wheelers, so if they hit the wall, they hit with more force. Also, the open wheelers have gone through many more safety precautions than the stock cars, like head restraints, soft walls, and looking into the manufacturing of the car.

Oh well, still prefer Dirt Racing over Asphalt any day, nothing like 410 Sprint Cars...

 

[alexjohnson16]

Originally posted by: NewSc2
So Nascar cars can be built like that, to withstand 150mph crashes and stuff, but if you get into a car crash at 120mph on the freeway, you're pretty fcked?

In a car crash on the freeway are you strapped into your seat so tight that you can barely breath??? Are you wearing fireproof material, a helmet, and using other safety precautions???

The money put into the aerodynamics and the crash resistance of NASCAR Cup Cars is amazing, compared to a car you'd be driving on the highway... Maybe they should look into better safety restraints for regular cars???

 

[Zenmervolt]

Wow, that looked like the clips from LeMans a few years back when the CLK-GTR's flipped. Looked like he caught air under the front of the car and it went sailing.

Mario is an amazing driver and he's a pretty amazing guy. From the articles I've read about him and from the time I got to see him on pit row he seems like a very down to earth guy. Michael's cool too, got his autograph on a pitt pass.

ZV

 

[kilmanjaro]

I'm no expert, but I think maybe they should adjust the front wing for a bit more downforce.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: kilmanjaro
I'm no expert, but I think maybe they should adjust the front wing for a bit more downforce.

LOL...

 

[Tom]

Glad to see he's ok !!

Arguably the greatest racer ! Only person who's won Formula 1 championship, Indy 500, and Daytona 500.

Not to mention Sprint cars on dirt and asphalt..

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: NFS4
I'd like to see CART/IRL deaths vs Busch/Winston Cup deaths for the past 15 years

cart had quite a few deaths a couple years ago

 

[teckmaster]

but look how many Nascar driver deaths didn't take place on the track.

 

[Hammer]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: NFS4
I'd like to see CART/IRL deaths vs Busch/Winston Cup deaths for the past 15 years

cart had quite a few deaths a couple years ago

still doesnt come close to nascar

 

[thomsbrain]

Mario went on to qualify a different car and won the race.

That's hardcore.

 

[0roo0roo]

Super Speedway -Imax

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential video
One of the best directors of IMAX films, Stephen Low (Titanica) has always been a race fan. After obtaining permission from CART, a governing body of Indy car racing and Newman/Haas racing (a Championship team co-owned by Paul Newman), Low found his stars for Super Speedway: the racing Andrettis, father Mario and son Michael. Mounting cameras fore and aft on the Andrettis' cars, IMAX offers a better vantage point than an ESPN camera, at a superior grade of clarity. Add to that the excellent sound and you can "feel" the bumps on the asphalt as the cars zoom in and out of corners. The large format can turn a pit stop into a dramatic 12 seconds as we see the driver's eyes dart away from his cockpit for a few brief seconds. We watch Michael Andretti on oval tracks and exciting road courses going over hills and sharp turns. There's even a spin--probably staged--from an angle we've never seen before.