Marcus Armstrong crashes at Indianapolis, not yet cleared to race

INDIANAPOLIS — Meyer Shank Racing driver Marcus Armstrong walked out of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway medical center more than 90 minutes after a crushing accident during Indianapolis 500 practice Saturday morning.

The 24-year-old driver from New Zealand was not immediately cleared to make a qualifying attempt on Saturday, but it is possible he will be cleared before the end of the first day of qualifying.

Armstrong spun and hit the wall Saturday morning between Turns 1 and 2 in preparation for qualifying today. If he doesn’t make a qualifying attempt today, he would be one of four drivers vying for the final three spots in the field on Sunday.

The car was destroyed and Armstrong will have to drive a converted road-course car. The team would likely want him to get some practice time on Saturday before attempting to qualify.

Having spent the last two seasons driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, Armstrong is still under contract with Ganassi but driving for Meyer Shank, which is a Ganassi affiliate. He is 14th in the series standings.

Armstrong did not take questions when leaving the medical center.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

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