Stefan Wilson, who qualified into the 33-car field for the 107th Indianapolis 500, will be unable to compete in the prestigious race around the iconic 2.5-mile speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to an update from Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Wilson suffered a fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebrae and will stay overnight at the hospital for further tests and observation.
Statement regarding Stefan Wilson’s condition. pic.twitter.com/vOS4le2vgq
— Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (@DreyerReinbold) May 22, 2023
On Monday, Wilson was involved in a crash during Indianapolis 500 practice at approximately 2:11 PM ET. Wilson’s No. 24 Chevrolet was tagged from behind by Katherine Legge, who was unaware that the pack of cars in front of her, including Wilson, had slowed dramatically.
As Legge made contact, her car flew wildly into the air before coming back down to the ground in Turn 1. Wilson’s car went head-on into the wall, and did not have the luxury of dissipating any energy before impact.
The severe nature of the impact led to injury to Wilson.
Here is a video of the crash that injured Wilson:
A scary incident in today's #Indy500 practice.@katherinelegge has been seen and released following the incident.#INDYCAR // @IMS pic.twitter.com/M0kqrAjZl9
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 22, 2023
Following Monday’s crash, Wilson was extracted from the No. 24 car by the AMR Safety Team. Once removed from the car, Wilson was loaded onto a stretcher. Before being loaded into an ambulance, Wilson gave a thumbs-up to fans in attendance to show that he was awake and alert.
Wilson was taken immediately to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for further evaluation.
The Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team has not given any further update as far as a potential relief driver for its No. 24 car for the Indianapolis 500, but in its update, the team stated it will have more information in due course.
The 33-year-old Wilson is the younger brother of the late Justin Wilson, who competed in the NTT IndyCar Series.
The younger Wilson has competed in a total of five events in the NTT IndyCar Series, four of them being the Indianapolis 500. Wilson’s career-best finish in the series to date was a 15th-place effort in the 2018 Indianapolis 500.
In 2011, Wilson won two races in the Indy Lights Series, now known as the Indy NXT Series, and finished third in the championship standings.
