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IndyCar

Robb released from hospital after terrifying Iowa crash

by Jack Benyon
3 min read

until Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League

A huge crash involving Sting Ray Robb marred the end of an otherwise processional second IndyCar race of the 2024 Iowa double-header, won by Will Power over championship leader Alex Palou.

The accident on the final lap was set up by eighth-placed Alexander Rossi slowing up and being hit at speed by Robb, whose DW12 launched terrifyingly high into the air, barrel-rolled upon landing and continued to skid down the straight after returning to the ground.

Meanwhile, that contact had sent Rossi across the track, leading into an eventual collision with the cars of first Ed Carpenter and then Kyle Kirkwood, who spun after checking up - with Carpenter's car ending up on top of Kirkwood's.

Rossi, Carpenter and Kirkwood - who indicated Rossi had run out of fuel - were attended to by the medical team and swiftly released.

Robb, stretchered away from the site of the accident, was initially described by IndyCar as being "awake, alert and in good condition" as he headed to Mercy One Des Moines Medical Center for precautionary checks.

He was discharged from hospital the same day once those checks were complete.

The race for the win

Will Power, Penske, IndyCar

The series swapped a cool night race on Saturday for the searing Iowa sun on Sunday afternoon, but the tyre deg and drivers struggling with the heat did not translate to high drama.

Pato O’Ward summed up the first 100 laps of 250 when he was caught on camera opening his visor and appearing to itch his eye, with very little action happening on track as drivers saved tyres - the rubber lasting much longer than expected - and fuel and the one-lane nature of the track didn’t allow overtaking after a repave.

Palou took the lead at the first stops as he was allowed to pit before IndyCar threw a caution for the spun car of Agustin Canapino.

And Power hadn’t pitted before the caution - so jumped from 19th to second by taking his pitstop under yellows.

With the pair now ahead, Palou predictably led the entire next stint as passing was rare other than on restarts where cars weren’t up to speed and tyre marbles had been swept to allow grip briefly higher up the track.

In the final round of stops, an almost 0.9s swing across inlap, time in the pits and outlap put Power just ahead of Palou, the Australian having stopped a lap after the Spaniard.

It was a marked turnaround from Saturday, when Power was penalised for speeding in the pits and separately for crashing into Pietro Fittipaldi under caution - and mused on the radio “what am I doing?” as he finished 18th.

The win - his first oval triumph since Pocono in 2019 - lifted him back to second in the standings, 35 behind Palou.

IndyCar 2024 standings (race 11/17)

1 Palou 379
2 Power -35
3 O'Ward -52
4 Dixon -57
5 McLaughlin -66

Penske has now won nine of the last 11 races at Iowa.

Despite the lost win, Palou has reason to celebrate in rebounding from a Saturday race crash he called unacceptable.

After taking his first oval win yesterday in the first race of the double-header, Scott McLaughlin was third in the follow-up, having led in the early going.

Scott Dixon and Colton Herta rounded out the top five, while Josef Newgarden came up just short of catching Pato O’Ward and took seventh.

Newgarden started 14th - having turned 22nd into fourth yesterday - and had another phenomenal start to establish himself in the top 10 right away. But he never fully overcame his poor qualifying given the single-lane nature of the track, a venue where coming into the weekend he'd won five of the seven preceding races.

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