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Scott Dixon suffered one of the most insane crashes at the 2017 Indy 500 that also involved another driver, Jay Howard.

The most shocking part is that both drivers walked off the crash with no significant injuries.

If you were to watch the replays that are available online on many websites or YouTube, then you’ll see how bad the crash was that left both drivers intact with only cases of minor injuries.

There are so many more photos from different angles that show before and after Dixon’s car went airborne and was left in a wreck.

We can’t forget the crash pictures or videos, and once you see it, there is no going back. And all we can say is that was the hand of God that saw both drivers only get kicked out of the race.

How did Scott Dixon Indy 500 crash happen?

Dixon, the four-time IndyCar Series Champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner, finished 17th on that race. His car was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was flown into the air and left in a wreck as well as shredded to pieces.

How did it all happen?

In the first half of the race, No.7 Honda driven by Jay Howard lost control coming through Turn 1 and hit the exterior wall and bounced back to the inside of the track, missing Tony Kanaan’s car before slamming into No.9 Chip Ganassi Racing car driven by Scott Dixon.

The force of the high-speed impact sent Dixon’s car airborne and into the catch fence of the track. On its way down, it hit the solid barrier and continued spinning into the air as it fell apart. 

We could see some flames that burst out before the car settled down, and fans cheered as Dixon got off the shredded car.

Here is what Dixon had to say after seeing the replays of the horrible crash.

“Extremely lucky in that scenario, and hopefully if I’m ever in something like that again that I’m lucky, too. It’s the unfortunate part of our business, but the passion and love I have for the sport far outweigh any of those scenarios.”

What was on Scott Dixon’s mind during the crash?

The car ripped off, and the only thing left out was for Dixon to walk out the crash unharmed since the car landed upright. He was so lucky to be alive and unharmed and walk out with a minor case of a sore ankle.

Here is what Dixon said immediately after the incident.

“At that point, everything just slows down so much that it actually felt like it took a couple of minutes to get through that whole crash. I remember seeing Jay, realizing I couldn’t really turn away from it, hitting him, being airborne, looking down and thinking, ‘Wow, I’m really high.”

“When I finally landed. I was sitting up looking at the crowd, and I saw the whole back of a car missing, and I was like, ‘Wow, I hope that person’s OK.’ When I got out, I actually realized it was my car.”

Conclusion

Dixon explained that he was not going to quit the game since that crash couldn’t overcome the love he has for the sport.

“This is a pretty safe sport; people think we’re absolutely crazy for doing what we do. I guess we are partly, maybe not wired quite right upstairs. … But let’s put it this way: Horse riding is more dangerous than this. So we sometimes have to take a step back and put things in perspective. We can’t help it. We have a passion for this place, regardless of the risks. This is what we love doing.”

Fernando Alonso is the Spaniard who hit the news headline when he missed last year’s Indy 500 qualification round with a slim margin of just 0.019mph after Kyle Kaiser pipped him.

What was the fuss about Alonso not qualifying for the second time at Indy? To answer this question, let’s touch a bit of history about the man in question.

Who is Fernando Alonso?

Alonso is a two-time Formula 1 world champion who left F1 to focus on getting a win at the Indy 500.

He is seeking to win the Triple Crown, which entails a title from Formula 1, 24 hours of Le Mans, and Indy 500. The Spaniard already has two titles at Formula 1 and has also won Monaco twice and Le Mans.

The only race that he is yet to win to fulfill his ambition of having the “Triple Crown” is the Indy 500.

The only other person to have the Triple Crown is Graham Hill. This year, 2020, Alonso will be trying his luck on a third trial to see whether he can reach the bars set by Hill.

What went wrong at 2019 Indy 500

Alonso, who was competing with a partnership of McLaren, faced a lot of problems that might have contributed to his downfall at the 2019 Indy 500.

He is a racer who has proved that he can be quite competitive at the Indy, but on this once, we can all blame the McLaren.

How did McLaren fail Alonso?

During the first day of Indy practice, Alonso’s car had an electrical issue, and on the second day, the car crashed, and he missed out on the third practice because of an engine problem.

It takes time and resources to set up a new team that can be competitive at the Indy 500. And we guess that McLaren did not plan thoroughly in this case.

Therefore, we think that McLaren didn’t prepare adequately for the race, and that’s why Fernando Alonso Indy 500 was a failure and not a success.

Here is what McLaren had to say about the ordeal:

“It’s been a tough week for the team. We’re sorry that our fans didn’t get the chance to cheer us on at the Brickyard,”

With that much said, we can conclude that Alonso went into the race-blind, and that wasn’t supposed to be the case.

Fernando Alonso 2019 Indy 500 statements

We bet Alonso will be looking for another team after McLaren failed him. It was a project that struggled from the start to the end.

A scenario that left Alonso badly under-prepared and confused as well at the weekend’s qualification round.

Here is what Alonso had to say about one of his unlucky day that left a bitter blow for the Triple Crown quest.

“A difficult week, no doubts, we tried our best, even today with a completely different setup and approach, four laps flat on the throttle, but we were not fast enough.”

“It’s never easy to drive around here at 227mph+, and want more speed… We tried our best, and we’ve been brave at times, but there were people doing a better job than us.

“Successor disappointments only come if you accept big challenges. We accepted. Thanks to the massive support always here at the speedway and everyone at home.”

Fernando Alonso Indy 500 is still on, and he will be looking for a new team to help him at least have a likelihood of getting his hands on the Indy Championship.

Alonso claims that winning Indy 500 is the last big ambition of his career.

What can we expect in 2020 for Fernando Alonso Indy 500 attempt?

According to reports from ESPN, Alonso’s chance of signing a new deal with Michael Andretti’s team is inevitable and, at the same time, very close.

Here is what Andretti had to say about the speculations.

“It’s not done yet, but it’s looking pretty good, we want it to happen, and I’ve just got to figure out how to get it funded. I think we can find a sponsor, but do I roll the dice, sign him and then hope to get it funded? I really enjoy working with the guy, and I want to make it happen.”

Therefore, we don’t think Alonso will be looking to partner up with McLaren even with the efforts they are showing.

Alonso confirmed that he is attempting the Indy 500 with the best possible team. Here is what he had to say:

“But the objective in terms of competitiveness and trying to win something important is the Indianapolis 500.”

“For that, I will try to be in the best possible team and the best possible conditions. Hopefully, something can be finalized soon.”

Conclusion

Do you think Fernando Alonso Indy 500 has a chance this year? Why don’t you come and see it for yourself? The race will start on Sunday, May 24, 2020, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Indy 500 balloon release is the most colorful and exciting part of the race that comes after the “Back Home Again in Indiana” tradition.

Before the race starts, we are greeted with hundreds, or it might even be thousands of the different colored balloons that are released into the air.

The tradition started in 1947 when Mary Fendich Hulman, the wife of the race track owner, Tony Hulman, came up with the idea of balloons release.

There have been many controversies as to why the balloon release should not take place. In 2019, we saw several organizations and individuals pressuring the IMS (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) to abandon the tradition.

Cases sent to the IMS to abandon Indy 500 balloon release

The primary stakeholder against the balloon release is the Balloons Blow Website, which claims that a lot of animals have died as a result of the balloons.

They argued that an animal could get caught in the balloon while feeding, and this can distract the normal functions of the digestive tract. Also, balloons can affect the migration patterns of local birds, and with no time, this can make them extinct.

Danielle Vosburgh, the co-founder of Balloons Blow, has her say.

“It seemed like the emails and the phone calls and social media posts weren’t getting their attention,”

Vosburgh argued that once the balloons are released into the air, they still come down to earth as any other litter that needs to be disposed of.

She added that:

“We need to dispose of our garbage properly; you wouldn’t throw balloons on the ground, so why would you let them into the air where they’re going to land somewhere else?”

IMS response to the balloon release

Doug Boles, IMS President, announced before the 2019 Indy 500 that the tradition of balloon release would go on to remain a part of the race.

However, Alex Damron, IMS Spokesperson, later on, stated that they are yet to execute any feedback concerning the issue of balloon release as a deteriorating factor to the environment.

Here is what Damron had to say:

“We’re reaching out to several stakeholders and talking with experts to fully understand the impact of this practice and determine its status in the years ahead.”

Experts saying at the Indy 500 balloon release

Critics argue that the balloons that fall down the earth pose a significant danger, especially to wildlife and marine species, since it takes a lot of time for them to break down.

Emma Nelson, a biologist from Fish and Wildlife Service (USA), stated that most marine species mistake balloons for food and the animals could either starve with a belly full of plastic or suffocate to death.

Another expert is Katie Register, an executive director at Clean Virginia Waterways, who was against balloon littering.

Register stated that:

“Whether something is biodegradable or not, we have to stop littering, and balloon releases are balloon littering events.”

Conclusion

After the 2019 balloon release from the Twitter video, the IMS has been the subject of criticism and complaints. We are yet to see whether the Indy 500 balloon release tradition will still continue in 2020.