INDYCAR: Kimball upset after pit lane crash

On lap 63, rookie Alexander Rossi was released from his pit stall into the low lane at the same time that Kimball was moving down from the high lane to pull in for his stop, while Helio Castroneves exited his stall ahead of them. The initial clash involving Rossi and Kimball lifted the front of Rossi's No. 98 Andretti-Herta Autosport Honda into the air, and then over the right sidepod of Castroneves' No. 3 Team Penske Chevy.

"I don't know what [Alexander Rossi] and [Helio Castroneves] were doing there," Kimball said. "We were coming into pit lane and they just sent the cars into the side of me. I'm just really disappointed with all of that."

While Castroneves and Rossi's days were done, Kimball tried to continue but could only muster a 15th-place finish, putting an end to a dismal weekend. Kimball, who walked away from a massive accident here in 2015, lost control in the opening practice entering Turn 1 and backed his Tresiba Chevy into the wall with considerable force.

"We had such a good car," he added. "The 83 crew has just really been on it all weekend with fixing the car and having to go to the backup car right before qualifying. I had so much confidence in the car every time I climbed in and for something silly that was completely out of our control on pit lane to put us back like that is just frustrating.

"After the incident on pit lane, the No. 83 Tresiba Chevrolet just wasn't the same. We just had to try and finish the race clean, get a lap back when we could, and really just help our teammates by staying out of the way when we could."

When asked about it, Rossi called the incident "unfortunate."

"Obviously I'm not in charge of releasing cars so I don't know the gap that needs to be had," Rossi said. "I was sent. I knew there was a car to my right and I stayed in the slow lane. So, that was all I could do." 

The front end of Rossi's Honda ran over Castroneves' right sidepod and got a bit of the driver, but the three-time Indy 500 winner said he was all right.

"I just saw a car on top of me all of a sudden,” said Castroneves. “It was scary; it hit a little bit of my hand. [But] inside the car I was more protected than what it looked like."