Driver Herm Johnson was hospitalized in stable...

Driver Herm Johnson was hospitalized in stable condition with severe foot and back injuries after his race car, clocked earlier at more than 204 m.p.h., slammed into the first-turn wall at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Danny Ongais and Johnny Parsons, also practicing for the Indianapolis 500, were unhurt in two other brushes with the same concrete wall while traveling in excess of 200 m.p.h. The three crashes were the first mishaps in four days of practice for the May 25 race.

Johnson, 33, Eau Claire, Wis., also crashed against the first-turn wall during practice last year, suffering a broken right arm and serious chest injuries that forced him to miss the race.