Quick Recovery Leads To Victory

Indianapolis 500

Two months since he was feared paralyzed by a devastating crash, Buddy Lazier strained to raise his right arm in triumph Sunday after holding off Davy Jones by less than 1 second in the 80th Indianapolis 500.

Lazier, his back broken in 16 places by the crash during a practice in Phoenix, spent three weeks in the hospital and initially had no feeling in his arms or legs. The 28-year-old arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month on crutches, progressed to a cane, and needed only a body brace Sunday in outgunning Jones and 31 other challengers for his first IndyCar victory.

“I’m sure the surgeon in (Colorado) will be doing back flips when he hears this,” Lazier said. “He was amazed I could even come and try to qualify. They tell me (the back) looked like a hard-boiled egg (that) had been dropped.”

Lazier was in pain toward the end of Sunday’s race, but confident. After taking the lead from Jones with seven laps to go, Lazier stayed aggressive in his purple Ford Cosworth-powered Reynard, knowing fuel was plentiful. Jones, who had no such cushion, benefited when Scott Sharp’s crash on the 196th lap brought the 10th and final caution flag.

That allowed Jones to conserve methanol and move closer to Lazier for a one-lap sprint to the finish. Upon the restart, Jones made up ground on the leader, but he never really threatened Lazier, who won by about .07 seconds in the third-closest finish in Indy history.

“Perhaps if there was one more lap,” Jones said, “maybe things could have been different.”

Richie Hearn crossed the line third, by far the best finish among 17 rookies. It was the largest contingent of first-year Indy 500 drivers since 1930, a phenomenon caused by the feud between Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George and several prominent IndyCar racers.

The youth-dominated Indy 500 was run quite cleanly - at least until the end, and then the trouble involved experienced hands. As Lazier was about to take the checkered flag, Roberto Guerrero spun out in the turn to the frontstretch and began a wicked three-car collision. Guerrero swerved toward the outside wall. Alessandro Zampedri struck him and went over his car. Zampedri’s car sailed up the wire fence like a jet, then crashed, upside down, onto Eliseo Salazar’s car. The impact knocked Zampedri’s red Lola back onto its wheels.

According to initial reports, Zampedri fractured both lower legs and feet and dislocated both ankles, and was having surgery Sunday night. Zampedri finished fourth after leading 19 laps late in the race.

Fifth-place Guerrero and sixth-place Salazar escaped serious injury. Salazar, fourth last year as a rookie, was involved in two other scrapes of his own doing. The first knocked Arie Luyendyk out of second place and essentially took the favorite out of the race. The second caused Jones to lose the lead with 30 laps left.

After he finished first with an average speed of 147.956 mph and steered into victory lane, Lazier performed another daring feat. He got out of his car unassisted.