Devlin DeFrancesco sent airborne during crazy crash in IndyCar opener

Devlin DeFrancesco was sent airborne during a crazy crash in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, which was the first race of the 2023 IndyCar season.

The crash occurred on the first lap of the race after a big pileup that was caused by Scott Dixon clipping Felix Rosenqvist coming out of Turn 2. Rosenqvist spun and caused a pileup that caught DeFrancesco. DeFrancesco had nowhere to go as AJ Foyt Racing rookie Benjamin Pedersen came plowing into him.

A big crash at the start of the @GPSTPete.

Devlin DeFrancesco got airborne after being hit by Benjamin Pedersen. #INDYCAR pic.twitter.com/1v3z5C6zq6

— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) March 5, 2023

IndyCar threw a red flag and cleaned up, pausing the race for nearly 20 minutes.

Though DeFrancesco was knocked out of the race, the Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport driver expressed gratitude for the safety measures provided by IndyCar.

I need to say thank you to @IndyCar for the aero screen today and for making sure our cars are safe! Thank you to everyone who reached out! onwards to Texas! @IndyCar @FollowAndretti

— Devlin Defrancesco (@DevlinDeFran) March 5, 2023

Can’t say thanks enough to @IndyCar for all the work they do to keep us safe #FirestoneGP pic.twitter.com/WnZ8y4KesN

— Devlin Defrancesco (@DevlinDeFran) March 6, 2023

On Lap 41, another crash occurred, which sent Jack Harvey to the hospital for a precautionary medical check.

Marcus Ericcson ended up winning the race for his fourth career IndyCar victory.

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