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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Rookie drivers E.J. Viso and Will Power crashed Friday during practice for the Indianapolis 500.
Viso, a 23-year-old Venezuelan, hit the wall first. He had completed only one lap early in the session and was still building speed when he lost control going into the third turn, struck the outside wall with the rear of his car and spun across the track.
He was out of the car on his own and appeared to be unhurt.
Less than 30 minutes later, Power, who had turned the second-fastest lap of the day at 223.039 mph, spun and slid into the wall, sending up a cloud of flame and debris. The 27-year-old Australian also appeared to escape injury.
Both Viso and Power are among the nine drivers who have moved to the IRL's IndyCar Series along with teams making the transition from the now-defunct Champ Car World Series.
Neither of them was among the 11 drivers who qualified for the May 25 race last Saturday and it was unclear if either had a backup car available in which to attempt to qualify when time trials resume Saturday.
The two crashes came during a busy first hour of Friday's practice. On Thursday, 35 cars turned more than 2,600 laps on the 2 1/2-mile oval without a single incident.
