Conway does not blame Hunter-Reay

Mike Conway

Mike Conway said he never lost consciousness as he went flying but was still stunned when he reviewed replays of his Indy 500 crash.

"It was a pretty different view from what it actually looked like," said Conway, 26. "I was just biding my time; I was going to pass (Hunter-Reay) in the exit of turn three because he was going slow.

"The next thing I know, I was over his back wheel and a passenger. The initial hit on the wall was heavy. I think that's what did the damage to my left leg. Looking back at it now, yeah, I consider myself pretty lucky. You see crashes all the time and think, 'Wow, that was an amazing crash.' Then it's yourself and it's hard to believe."

Hunter-Reay's car slowed dramatically because it ran out of fuel. The driver was remorseful after the race and visited Conway at Methodist Hospital to apologize.

"I could see in his face that he felt pretty sorry," Conway said. "I told him it wasn't his fault. His team (Andretti Autosport) was responsible for him still being out there like that. I have nothing against Ryan. It was nothing he meant to do."

Conway suggested the Izod IndyCar Series should consider a rule mandating minimum fuel levels in cars at the end of races.

Because of his fuel load and other cars running low, Conway was looking at a possible top-five finish when he crashed. He finished his second Indy ride in 19th.

He plans to return home to England in three days but insisted the crash will not discourage him.

"I feel the same as I did before," he said. "I've got a lot to do and I'm going to keep doing it.

"It's nothing I want to go through again, that's for sure. It shakes you up a bit, but I've not had a thought about not doing it anymore. I'm going to come back. I'm definitely stronger for it."

Car owner Dennis Reinbold looks forward to getting his driver going again.

Tomas Scheckter replaced Conway at Texas last weekend, finishing 13th. The team has signed Graham Rahal to take the seat in time for the June 20 race at Iowa. Indy Star