INDIANAPOLIS -- Oliver Askew was “a little shaken up” but OK after the rookie sustained a wicked hit during a crash on a restart near the midpoint of Sunday’s Indy 500.
The incident began on Lap 92 when Conor Daly lost control of his No. 47 off Turn 4 as the race went green.
Attempting to avoid the spin, Askew’s No. 7 Dallara-Chevrolet veered to the left, and the Arrow McLaren SP driver slammed the inside SAFER barrier with his right front near the entry to pit lane (VIDEO ABOVE).
After coming to a stop, Askew gingerly climbed out of his car and was attended to by three safety workers. The 23-year-old leaned on the sidepod of his car while catching his breath.
A massive crash for Oliver Askew in the #Indy500.@IMS added SAFER Barriers designed for safety, and we're so glad they exist as he and Conor Daly are OK. Watch the race on @NBC: https://t.co/B6M3MXYpFe pic.twitter.com/2T6m3Y8ZYL
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 23, 2020
IndyCar officials announced that Askew and Daly both had been checked and released from the infield care center and were cleared to drive.
“I’m OK; I was shaken up after that hit,” Askew told NBC Sports pit reporter Kevin Lee. “I had the wind knocked out of me and banged up my knee a little bit. I have to say thank you to Dallara and IndyCar for making these cars so safe.
“A big sorry to the team. We were having a good run there being aggressive on strategy. On the accident, I saw a bunch of smoke in front of me and tried to avoid Helio (Castroneves) and just lost the car and tired to avoid the accident. It’s a shame.”
Daly initially told Lee he wasn’t sure what happened but then took the blame after watching a replay of the incident.
“It’s like my left-front tire fell into a hole or something,” Daly said. “It’s never happened before. I thought I almost had it (saved). Looks like I just caught the curb, which is probably on me.”
Askew moved up into the NTT IndyCar Series after winning the 2019 Indy Lights championship.