Graham Rahal’s run in the 105th Indianapolis 500 came to an end against the turn 2 wall.
After a pit stop on lap 119, the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda spun coming through turn 2 in the warmup lane, hitting the wall with the right side of the car.
Further replays show that the left-rear tire was not secure to the car before Rahal left his pit box.
The Ohio native was leading prior to his pit stop and was checked and released from the medical center. Rahal has been cleared to drive.
“Famous last words, but we had them. We had them,” Rahal said. “The fuel saving that we were doing, the car, we were in the perfect spot, we were just cruising. I keep using the word ‘going to.’ That’s not the right word, but our strategist played it right. I felt like I was doing a good job in the car. We got ourselves where we needed to be. We had them today and, like I said, this one’s hard to accept.
“I’m proud of the United Rentals guys, we worked hard. I’m sorry we didn’t win this thing because we should have.”
The left-rear tire bounced into Conor Daly’s path and the No. 47 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet hit the tire with the left side of the very front of the nose. The tire landed in the grass next to the track.
Christopher DeHarde has covered IndyCar racing and the Road to Indy for various outlets since 2014. In addition to open wheel racing, DeHarde has also covered IMSA and various short track racing events around Indiana. Originally from New Orleans, DeHarde moved to the Indianapolis area in 2017 to further pursue a career as a motorsports writer.