INDIANAPOLIS — Two-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. and rookie Paul Dana were involved in a crash during Friday's practice for the May 29 Indianapolis 500.
Dana lost control heading into turn two on the 2 1/2-mile oval and backed hard into the outside wall. Hornish ran over debris from Dana's wreck, flipped high into the air, turned over and skidded along the track on the open cockpit of his Team Penske entry.
Hornish was able to scramble from his overturned car and walked away without injury. Safety workers had to remove Dana from his battered car and he was placed on a stretcher for the short ambulance ride to the infield medical center. Dana was awake and alert but was later taken to Methodist Hospital for further examination after complaining of back pain.
It was Dana's second crash in two days and the fifth accident overall since the track opened for Indy 500 practice on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Tomas Scheckter moved into the favorite's role heading into Saturday's pole qualifying by posting the fastest lap since practice began.
The son of former Formula One champion Jody Scheckter, driving for Panther Racing, turned a lap of 227.805 mph on Friday to surpass the 227.633 by rookie Danica Patrick on Thursday. Scheckter, one of only three competitors entered at Indy with Chevrolet engines, said his fast lap was no fluke.
"We had four (laps) in the 227s and I don't think there was very much help at all," the South African driver said.
Scott Sharp picked the top spot in the blind draw Friday for the qualifying order, followed by Hornish, Dan Wheldon, Tony Kanaan and Adrian Fernandez. Scheckter's team drew the No. 8 spot in line for his backup car and No. 46 for his primary car.