Amazing the amount of damage a runaway tire can do…
We know from firsthand experience as well as many videos on the internet that a runaway tire and wheel can be devastating for anything in its path. Seeing this Chevy Cruze that was hit by a tire during the Indy 500 recently doesn’t really phase us because we know it could’ve been far, far worse. Still, with the age of the vehicle and the damage done, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that was enough for it to be totaled.
See the damage done to a C1 Corvette hit by an SUV here.
Thankfully, the Indianapolis Star says Indianapolis Motor Speedway will replace the Chevy. In a video of the aftermath, there’s apparent damage to the front quarter panel, hood, and headlight.
The way the tire went errant and out into the speedway’s parking lot was a collision involving Kyle Kirkwood and Felix Rosenqvist on lap 185 during the historic race. The tire leaped all the way over the grandstands at turn two, landing in the parking lot behind.
Honestly, the loss of a Chevy Cruze is nothing we would mourn. Sure, to the owner of the car it was no doubt a big deal at the time, but if someone had been hurt or killed by the tire, then it would’ve been a real tragedy. Instead, a crappy four-banger was killed and will be replace with another crappy four-banger.
However, it sounds like race officials will be reviewing this incident. There are supposed to be tethers on Indy racers’ wheels to prevent this exact scenario, so something obviously failed. Had the tire not skipped over the grandstands and instead landed in them, the result might have been catastrophic. We’ve seen runaway tires take out big cars and trucks, crumpling them as if they were made of aluminum foil, so we can only imagine what they would do to a person.
