Jeff Andretti, Wood Crash at Indy Practices

Rookies Jeff Wood and Jeff Andretti walked away from crashes today during a busy day of practice for the May 27 Indianapolis 500.

Both were driving 1989 Lola-Cosworth cars and the accidents occurred in a 20-minute span during the final full day of practice before the start of qualifications.

Wood got high in Turn 1 on the 2 1/2-mile oval and smacked the outside wall four times before stopping on the apron in Turn 2. He damaged the right-side suspension and the tub of the car.

Minutes later, Andretti, the younger son of 1969 Indy winner Mario Andretti, lost control in Turn 4 and hit the outside wall, then slid 560 feet before coming to rest against the inside wall just short of the pit road entrance. The car was heavily damaged on the left front.

Andretti has a bruised left knee but both drivers were checked at the infield hospital and released to drive.

Andretti, hoping to join his father, brother Michael and cousin John in the 33-car Indy lineup, had a fast lap of 209.001 m.p.h. before the crash. His best of the week has been 210.334.

Wood, who has been above 208 in a second team car, had a 200.885 lap just before he crashed.

Those two incidents raised the number of crashes since the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened for practice last Saturday to eight, all involving pre-1990 Lolas.

The most serious injuries have been concussions suffered by three-time Indy winner Johnny Rutherford and 1988 Rookie of the Year Bill Vuckovich III. Both spent a night in Methodist Hospital.

Vuckovich, a third-generation driver here, has been cleared to drive. Rutherford is scheduled to be examined again on Saturday.

Steve Barclay remains hospitalized from multiple injuries suffered on April 27 in a crash during the annual Rookie Orientation Program at the speedway. He also was in a 1989 Lola.

The owners of some of those older cars have complained that 1990 aerodynamics changes have made their cars unstable and unpredictable. But an appeal to the sanctioning U.S. Auto Club for a change in the rules was turned down Thursday.