VICS: Francesco Dracone Suffers Bad Luck at NOLA, including Crew Member Injury

The Grand Prix of Louisiana is certainly a day that Francesco Dracone will not want to remember fondly as it was a day that didn’t go his way at all, from a wreck on track to a pit crew member being injured in pit lane.

At the start of the event, Francesco Dracone never really got going like he would’ve, and went a lap down early in the event. Trying to survive the wet conditions on the NOLA Motorsports Park circuit, Dracone would make contact with Helio Castroneves, resulting in spin in turn one at lap 20. He would then make his way down pit road, spinning around on pit lane and knocking one of his crew members down. Dracone’s day would be over at that point, resulting in a 23rd place finish.

Thankfully, Todd Philips will be okay from the incident as INDYCAR reported received stitches in his lower right leg at the track medical center and was released.

“Obviously that was a scary situation in the pit lane,” he commented. “I’m glad to hear that Todd (Philips), my chief mechanic, will be alright with just a cut on his leg. This just shows how dangerous it is for every member of the team in racing. It is an unfortunate way to end the race but Todd’s health is the most important thing right now.”

To add insult to injury, it marks the Italian’s second finish outside of the top-20 to start the season as he finished 23rd two weeks ago at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg due to mechanical issues with the steering.

Now entering the third event of the season at Long Beach, Dracone will certainly be looking for a good run to turn his early season struggles around.

About the Author

Ashley McCubbin

Joining OnPitRoad.com mid-2013 season, Ashley McCubbin is now the Managing Editor and contributes to each racing division as needed. Since studying journalism at the University of Guelph-Humber, Ashley has published articles on a couple of different websites, while serving as a public relations representative for different short track teams. Born in North York, Ontario, Ashley currently lives in Bradford, Ontario and spends her weekend at the local short tracks in the area. She has spent her entire life at the short track level, falling in love with the sport at the age of five. Beyond her love of short track racing, she also has grown an interest for both NASCAR and the IndyCar Racing Series. She also enjoys taking photos and working on websites, while playing a couple rounds of Candy Crush afterwards.

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