Venezuelan driver Jorge Goncalvez was transported to the hospital after being involved in a frightening, upside-down crash with five laps remaining in Friday's Indy Lights Series Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
One of 15 rookies in the 18-car field, Goncalvez, 19, was awake and alert after the crash and taken by ambulance to Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital for further evaluation. He gave a thumbs-up to the crowd while lying on a stretcher after being helped out of his mangled car between Turns 1 and 2 of the Speedway.
Gustavo Yacaman also was transported to IU Health Methodist complaining of neck pain after a lap 20 accident.
Both drivers were released from the hospital with no serious injuries reported.
On a restart with six laps remaining, Goncalvez' car glanced off the outside Turn 1 wall and then slammed hard into the inside retaining wall before flames exploded and the car slid upside-down across the track. It hit the outside wall again before coming to rest.
Goncalvez unfastened his steering wheel and tried to climb out before rescue workers told him to sit still.
The race finished under caution, with Josef Newgarden claiming his first career win in the series. He drives for Sam Schmidt Motorsports, which fields the pole-sitting car for Sunday's Indianapolis 500.
