If warning signs were there for Will Power, he didn’t see them before crashing hard into another IndyCar Series driver during last weekend’s event at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
“If I would have had any warning,” Power said Tuesday in a phone interview, his first since the accident, “I most definitely would have backed off.”
Running nearly at full speed during Saturday morning’s practice, Power’s car struck that of series rookie Nelson Philippe in the right side, knocking both unconscious and fracturing several bones in both.
Television replays show yellow flags waving to Power’s right as he reached the crest of the blind corner, and Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart said the strobe light system was working atop the hill.
But an investigation by Power’s Team Penske team concluded the warning lights on his dash designed to flash in a full-course caution did not come on.
“We know there were no lights on in the car,” team president Tim Cindric said. “He had no indication to slow down.”
Said Power: “I just turned the corner like normal. It was a total surprise to me to see Nelson sitting right there.”
Power told Philippe that he thought he had killed him.
“It was by far the hardest hit I’ve ever had,” Philippe said.
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