NEW YORK, March 27 - IndyCar race driver Ed Carpenter, whose spin into
the wall at Homestead-Miami Speedway precipitated Sunday's crash that killed
driver Paul Dana, was released from hospital on Monday.
Carpenter left Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami in good condition with a
bruised lung, according to Dr. Henry Bock, senior director of medical services
for Indy Racing League.
Carpenter, 25, was not yet cleared to run in Sunday's race at St. Petersburg,
an IRL spokesman said.
Dana, 30, slammed into the rear of Carpenter's car at about 200 mph (322 kph)
after Carpenter had spun, hit the wall in Turn 2 and slid back down the
racetrack during warm-ups before the IRL's season-opening race.
Both drivers were airlifted by helicopter from the track to the downtown
hospital, where Dana was later pronounced dead.
Despite the shock of the fatal accident that left pieces of both open-wheel
race cars strewn over the track, the race was held and won by IRL series
champion Dan Wheldon.
Dana's fellow drivers on the Rahal-Letterman team, Danica Patrick and Buddy
Rice, pulled out of the race.
"Paul Dana's passing is a terrible tragedy and I want to express my
condolences and sympathies to his family and friends," said team co-owner David
Letterman, a TV talk show host who became a racing fan growing up in
Indianapolis.
"I did not know Paul personally but we were all proud to have him on our team
and are deeply saddened by his tragic passing at such a young age."
CAUTION LIGHTS
Racing officials were unable to explain the fatal accident since yellow
caution lights went on across the track right after Carpenter's spin and some
five seconds before Dana's Honda-powered Panoz smashed into the stalled
Dallara-Honda.