IndyCar has medically cleared Sting Ray Robb to compete this upcoming weekend after his dramatic crash during the finish of last Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 at Iowa Speedway. Robb’s car soared through the air and rolled multiple times before sliding upside down to a halt. The initial landing on the pavement was measured as a 109g impact. AJ Foyt Racing driver was airlifted to Mercy One Des Moines Medical Center and was released later that day.
The incident began as Alexander Rossi struggled to complete the race’s final lap with nearly no fuel left in his No. 7 McLaren. The 2016 Indy 500 winner was going much slower than everyone else. Robb, unaware of the Californian’s predicament, had little time to react as he chased him down. He couldn’t steer clear around the orange-and-white machine and collided with the McLaren. The wheel-to-wheel crash flung Robb’s No. 41 car into the air. Kyle Kirkwood and Ed Carpenter lost control of their cars trying to avoid Robb.
Robb was seemingly fine after the crash with only bruising from where the lap belts held him in place, Autosport reports. He did get a blister on his hand, grabbing the searing-hot halo to pull himself out of the cockpit. The safety crew was more concerned when he briefly lost consciousness after getting out, which was the reason behind the airlift for a precautionary CT scan. With Robb in the clear, his team AJ Foyt Racing stated:
After a final evaluation by INDYCAR Medical, we are happy to share that Sting Ray has been cleared to compete this weekend in Toronto. He’s looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the No. 41 Goodheart Vet / Pray.com Chevrolet.
Thank you to everyone who’s reached out and showed their support.
Penske’s Will Power won the second race of the Iowa doubleheader, capping off the team’s sweep of the weekend. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The competitive oval debut for IndyCar’s hybrid system featured faults in qualifying where certain drivers didn’t have access to boost.