Justin Wilson was airlifted out of Pocono Raceway and is in a coma after he was hit by a large piece of debris during Sunday’s IndyCar race.

IndyCar said in a statement on Sunday night that Wilson was in critical condition and was in a coma. As parts from his vehicle littered the track, one of the pieces appeared to strike Wilson, who was trailing.

The win for Karam was in grasp while leading with 21 laps to go, but he lost control of his No. 8 Chevrolet in Turn 1 and pounded the wall to end any chances at scoring the home-track victory.

He rates some tracks higher than others, and Pocono Raceway – the site of this weekend’s ABC Supply 500, the next-to-last round of the Verizon IndyCar Series championship – is near the top of the list.

“It was a very racy race”, Newgarden said.

IndyCar had a subdued victory lane and Hunter-Reay was not sprayed with the traditional confetti. Wilson was apparently knocked unconscious causing him to veer almost straight-on into the inside wall.

But of more immediate concern is the condition of lanky Englishman Justin Wilson after today’s race at Pocono, Pennsylvania. That name, an homage to the 19-year-old NASCAR driver who perished in a crash at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2000, was in and of itself yet another reminder of something they all knew and dealt with in their own ways: Motorsports in general and open wheel racing in particular are inherently unsafe and often cruelly random. Tony Stewart loaned his plane and pilots to Stefan Wilson so he could get to his brother’s side.

“I’m optimistic and hopeful”, said Wilson, who will have joined Andretti Autosport for seven of the 16 races this season including the finale in Sonoma on August. 30. It has caught up with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Graham Rahal’s surprising run for the championship late in the season, but Andretti Autosport hasn’t fared as well.

Despite frequent yellows with over 25% of the race behind the pace auto, there were still a total of 34 lead changes between twelve different drivers. “I think Tristan is a talented guy, but in a position like that, you just don’t do that”.

He says I turned in on him but there’s not any space. He finished third behind the dominant Mercedes factory cars of Lewis Hamilton and Rosberg.

NHRA: Richie Crampton raced to his fourth Prime Gasoline victory of the season to shut out a record-setting day on the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota. “He’s a part-timer, trying to prove himself again”.