Patrick Carpentier has been given a clean bill of health after his heavy crash in Indianapolis 500 practice earlier today. But with Dragon Racing's No. 20 car heavily damaged in the accident, it looks like the team's hopes of getting in the field are over.
Dragon gave former Champ Car driver Carpentier a surprise chance to get back into open-wheelers for the first time in over five years today, the team having struggled to get up to speed at Indianapolis with planned driver Scott Speed. But Carpentier then spun into the Turn 1 wall late in morning practice prior to the final Bump Day qualifying session. He has now been declared unhurt and free to drive again, but the car was wrecked in the accident and the team does not have a back-up available.
Speed, who did not try a qualifying run yesterday having been a long way off the pace in practice, said he was devastated for the team.
"It's one of those things where it's a tense situation and this morning they told me that they want to put Patrick in the car to see what someone who has been around here a bunch has to say about the car," Speed told IMS Radio. "The result is what it is, and now we don't have a car to run.
"I really, really hate it for the guys because the last two weeks these guys have worked so, so hard and to see their faces around the garage now is terrible."