Indy Racing League (IRL) Tickets ? Vitor Meira Faces Indy 500 After ’09 Crash
Just like Ricky Bobby proved in Talladega Nights, it’s better to get back in the saddle after a fiery crash than to let fear take over in the driver’s seat. For Brazilian IndyCar driver Vitor Meira, May 30 will be the day to test that theory. Meira will travel back to Indianapolis during Memorial Day weekend to face the foe that sent him to the hospital with two broken vertebrae during the 2009 Indianapolis 500, and he’s staring the beast (the Indianapolis Motor Speedway) in the eye for this year’s installment of the famed Indy 500.
33-year-old Meira, sometimes referred to as the best IRL driver who has never won an IndyCar race, will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2010 Indy 500, and the IndyCar veteran has been preparing to revisit the track for months now. Speaking to ESPN earlier this month about his ’09 misfortunes at Indy and on putting the past behind him, Meira joked, “I actually watched the crash while I was still in the hospital. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is 100 years old and I am easily the record-holder for longest distance traveled on top of the wall.”
Riding on the wall surely wasn’t as exhilarating as it sounds, as Meira’s vehicle went up in flames during last year’s Indy 500 after his car hit Turn 1 of the track at IMS and rode on the wall backwards all the way into Turn 2 going more than 200 mph. The accident sidelined Meira with two broken vertebrae for the rest of the season as he underwent extensive rehabilitation. He’s made up for his losses so far in 2010, however, as the A.J. Foyt Enterprises driver has maneuvered his No. 14 open-wheel car into ninth place in point standings (prior to the Indy 500), signaling him as the comeback king.
Racing fans go after <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/irl-tickets-indy-car-series/”>Indy Racing League (IRL) tickets</a> every year to catch a glimpse of the admirable Vitor Meira in action on the racetrack, and IndyCar enthusiasts are anxious to see how Meira will fare at this year’s Indianapolis 500. The native Brazilian has finished in second place twice at past Indy 500 races – in 2005 behind Dan Wheldon and in 2008 behind Scott Dixon – and now he’ll shoot for No. 1 in his comeback effort from a disappointing and altogether terrifying 2009 race.
So far this year, Meira has notched several Top 15 finishes, with a third place finish at Sao Paulo his best for the season. Meira has proven his resilience time and again on the IRL circuit, and racing fans would like nothing more than to see No. 14 speed into Victory Lane at Indy and beyond.
Recently talking about Meira’s amiability and character in the league to ESPN, fellow Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan said, “There is a reason that so many people were so excited when Vitor finished on the podium in Sao Paulo. They love him because he races hard and he works hard. People love an underdog and a comeback story.”
Meira will add more chapters to his comeback story this month as racing season gets into full swing, and tickets to several upcoming races are still available from <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.stubhub.com/”>StubHub</a> to catch Meira and all other IndyCar drivers in action this season.
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