Caio Collet walks away after fiery crash
- Rookie Caio Collet crashed and caught fire on Lap 193 of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 24, but climbed out under his own power. - Lap 194 brought the red flag after Collet’s A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet hit the outside wall in Turn 2 with eight laps remaining. - IndyCar’s official video and race coverage document the late restart that followed, with Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas deciding the finish.
Caio Collet’s first Indianapolis 500 ended in flames with eight laps remaining, but the Brazilian rookie climbed from his car and walked away Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The crash came on Lap 193 after Collet got loose exiting Turn 2 and hit the outside wall, according to IndyCar’s official race video. Fire flared from the car as it slid down the track, and officials stopped the race with a red flag on Lap 194. ### How did the crash unfold in the closing laps? IndyCar’s official clip showed Collet’s No. 4 Chevrolet snap up toward the wall late in the race, then erupt in flames after the impact. Yahoo Sports reported Collet had been the leading rookie for much of the day before the wreck ended his debut. Turn 2 became the decisive point of the incident. (indycar.com) Speedcafe reported Collet got loose there before slamming the outside barrier, and RacingNews365 said the race was suspended after the Lap 194 stoppage. ### Was Caio Collet injured? Fox News reported Collet was ambulatory at the scene after the crash. (indycar.com) IndyCar’s official video also showed him climbing from the car after safety crews arrived. Yahoo Sports described Collet as climbing from the car after the accident ended his first Indianapolis 500. That account, along with the official video, established that he exited without being carried away from the scene. (speedcafe.com) ### Why did the wreck change the finish of the race? Lap 194 brought a red flag that halted the 110th running of the race and erased the normal rhythm of the closing stint. (foxnews.com) Fox Sports’ clip description said the stoppage came with eight laps to go, setting up a late dash once cleanup was complete. USA Today’s live coverage and For The Win’s race report said the restart produced a one-lap shootout at the end. (sports.yahoo.com) That left the result to be settled after the delay rather than under uninterrupted green-flag running. ### Who is Collet, and why was he in focus before the crash? Caio Collet entered the race as one of the event’s four rookies and had drawn attention earlier in May during Indianapolis 500 preparations. (foxsports.com) Motorsport.com reported he topped the final day of the open test at more than 226 mph, underscoring the speed he had shown before race day. (ftw.usatoday.com) A.J. Foyt Racing signed Collet for the full 2026 IndyCar season, Fox Sports reported in November. IndyCar’s official crash clip referred to him as the top-running rookie when his race ended, which matched outside race coverage describing him as the leading newcomer for much of Sunday. ### What happened after the restart? (motorsport.com) Felix Rosenqvist won the 110th Indianapolis 500 after the late restart, passing David Malukas at the line in what multiple outlets described as the closest finish in race history. Yahoo Sports said the race also produced 69 lead changes, breaking the previous event record of 68 set in 2013. (foxsports.com) Sunday’s official IndyCar video archive and race reports now place Collet’s crash as the incident that forced the final reset of the race. The next documented step for Collet will come through IndyCar’s post-race medical and team updates, while A.J. Foyt Racing’s No. 4 entry moves on to the next round of the 2026 IndyCar season. (indycar.com) (usatoday.com)
