A suspension failure sent Vitor Meira in to the turn four wall after just 34 laps of practice at the three-quarter mile Richmond International Raceway.

“I don't know what happened,” said Meira. “Something failed and I don't want to speculate. Our car had new parts. It feels like what happened in Iowa, but I don't want to assume.”

Meira was relegated to a passenger in his race car after the left front suspension collapsed as he entered turn three. His Panther Racing Dallara chassis then shot up the race track, making hard right side contact with the SAFER barrier before sliding off the banking and on to the bottom of the race track.

A similar failure last weekend at Iowa Speedway dropped Meira from a sure top three and a legitimate chance to win. In last week's incident, the suspension failed as he came off the track and prepared to enter the pit lane. Unfortunately, this most recent failure occurred at full speed as he entered turn three.

Panther Racing mechanics and officials confirmed that they are investing the failures and are using brand new suspension parts on their cars.

Meira was not injured in the crash and he has been cleared to drive by the Indy Racing League medical staff. Due to severe damage to the primary car, Panther Racing has received permission from the Indy Racing League to bring out their spare chassis. Engine supplier Honda has also delivered another engine to the team as a precaution in case the original was damaged in the crash.

IRL rules prevent teams from having engines in their spare cars, meaning Meira will miss the rest of today's first practice, though his team should be ready for the second practice - weather permitting.

ORS / CAPSIS International