--- title: "Indy 500 Fan Whose Chevy Was Hit by Flying Tire Is Being Gifted a New One" date: "2023-06-01" modified: "2023-06-01" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/indy-500-fan-whose-chevy-was-hit-by-flying-tire-is-being-gifted-a-new-one" categories: - "News" - "Racing" --- # Indy 500 Fan Whose Chevy Was Hit by Flying Tire Is Being Gifted a New One ![]() One of the scariest things you can ever see at a race is debris flying over the catch fence. That's exactly what happened last Sunday at the [2023 Indy 500]() when Arrow McLaren's Felix Rosenqvist triggered a series of events that led up to a poor Chevrolet Cruze getting hit by a rogue tire hurtling through the air. Now, Penske Entertainment—the parent company of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NTT IndyCar series—will reportedly be giving the unlucky fan a brand-new car. No other details have been shared about this situation, only that Robin Matthews, the owner of the damaged Cruze, will be taken care of after the accident. It's unclear what kind of car she'll be given, or how, but it's safe to say that it'll likely be another Chevy given the track's partnership with GM and Roger Penske owning one of the largest Chevy dealers in Indiana. https://twitter.com/AndrewKossack/status/1662900354478907392?s=20 On lap 186 of Sunday's 200-lap race, Rosenqvist's car brushed the wall coming out of Turn 1 and severely damaged his suspension, making him lose control of the car as it ricocheted back onto the racing line. An incoming Kyle Kirkwood was able to react fast enough to avoid a full head-on collision, but his Andretti Honda lightly clipped the damaged McLaren, sending him flying toward the Turn 2 wall in dramatic fashion. It's hard to see the tire from Kirkwood's car detaching at ridiculous speed in the replay, though if you slow the footage down at the right time, you're able to see how the tire shot up and over the catch fence. It was unclear at the moment what exactly had happened, though a few minutes later it was confirmed that the tire had luckily managed to avoid any spectators, hitting a parked car instead. It was a truly scary situation that could've ended much worse—as it has on previous occasions. Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Douglas Boles quickly set out to find the owner of the damaged Chevy, and ground crews quickly traced it back to Matthews, who had already witnessed the damage done to her car by this point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVz8XdMOo6s "I didn't see it come down," Matthews told the *[Indianapolis Star]()*. "I came down and they said 'Robin, it's your car!' I thought, 'No.' I thought somebody was pranking me. It's a car. It's fine." Boles tried to make up for the ugly situation by inviting Matthews to the yard of bricks and having her join in on the post-race celebrations. Now, they'll really make amends with this new car. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()