TXE36

That's hard to watch.

-Mike

93 FireHawk 968

High speed part of the track, you're flat out. Prayers for both drivers.

Toby Pennycuff

James Safronas just got jammed up pretty bad heading into the infield. Pretty bad - James' car is done. Good news is that both drivers from the earlier shunt are OK and communicating (as of 8:40P EST).

Jarez Mifkin

Official statement just released saying both drivers are awake and communicating and undergoing further observation and assessment.

Great news to hear. No word on their injuries, but the fact that they are awake and communicating is really good.

67King

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com...artner=ya5nbcs

Good news.....

Dwane

Pretty nasty....hopefully they are doing well.

gums

Hopefully not too bad. They're awake and communicating, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're "OK".

Racerrob

Wow, ugly crash, hope they are OK. Looks like the green car may have been in the center to give the dp the right and Gidley picked wrong or got blinded.

skl

Glad they are awake and communicating but no way Gidley doesn't have lower extremity injuries- you see the front of that car?? He didn't know what hit him... ouch! Can you imagine that crash in a 956???? (hell, their legs were in front of the front axle line!!)

mikeoR32

Just heard that Gidley went through successful surgery on his left arm and leg and is now in recovery, though they didn't say specifically what they were doing in surgery.

ProCoach

And mellucelli is ok with a concussion...

stownsen914

I just saw on the TV coverage of the race another view of the accident, from behind. Not sure if this has been mentioned here previously, but it looked like Gidley may have been looking to attempt a pass coming out from directly behind another car just as they approached the Ferrari, which could have obscured his view and made it so he didn't see the Ferrari until a split second before the impact. The sunset wouldn't have helped any of course

(Edit) Oh, well maybe this is what Arkadi was saying above ...

Veloce Raptor

Photo sequence:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/phot...ospital-012514

ZAPmobile

That's why the driver's legs were behind the front axles in the 962.

Mark Dreyer

This is a memory I'll not soon forget. I feared that Gidley would be burnt to a crisp as there was a fire that erupted immediately from the engine compartment.

I looked across the infield at the emergency vehicles, mentally pleading for them to hurry, something that didn't seem to be happening. Gidley was totally still-probably knocked unconscious, but at the time I feared he was gone.

I feared that if he wasn't gone, the fire would do him in. Within probably 20 seconds, the fire totally went out. Gidley obviously couldn't have triggered the fire suppression system. Would that have happened automatically via sensors in the car? Or could it have been triggered remotely from the team in the pits?

However the fire suppression system was activated, I'm convinced it saved him since it seemed to take forever for the safety crew to arrive. I am sure they arrived as promptly as possible, but it sure seemed they were in slow motion at the time.

I am still shaken from having seen that incident, and am grateful that both drivers survived, a testament to modern race car safety engineering.