Coyne faces time crunch to repair Bourdais’ car for qualifying

The Dale Coyne Racing team with Vasser-Sullivan is in a race to prepare a car for Sebastien Bourdais to drive in qualifying after the Frenchman endured a high-speed crash to end practice Saturday morning in Portland.

Bourdais went in hard at Turn 11, smashing the right side of his No. 18 Honda before rotating and backing the car in. The impact sent tire bales upward and required barrier repair from the track before the next series could take to the track.

The four-time Champ Car champion went fastest overall moments before the crash, and despite climbing from the car under his own power, he appeared to have a slight limp while walking to the emergency response vehicles.

With approximately three hours between practice and qualifying, the team was determining whether repairing Bourdais’ primary entry or switching to his backup was the best course of action.