Oops! The Dual In Detroit Delayed Thanks To Crash.

The race Sunday was delayed over a half-hour because the pace car, driven by General Motors executive Mark Reuss, crashed during a pace lap.

The Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, a car valued at around $123,000, entered the second turn on the streets of Belle Isle, the back end swung out and it slammed front first into the concrete wall.

Mark Reuss, General Motors Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, was behind the wheel of the car, while IndyCar official Mark Sandy was in the passenger seat where the airbag deployed. Both were taken to the infield care center where, according to IndyCar, they were each checked and cleared.

Reuss has driven the pace car on the streets of Belle Isle on multiple occasions. According to an IndyCar official, he has been trained and attained certification to drive high-performance cars such as the Corvette ZR1.

Regular pacecar driver Oriol Servia was installed in the back-up Corvette pace car.

Veteran team owner Roger Penske said of the situation: “We’ve seen the leader at Indy spin out on the pace lap, this isn’t quite as bad when you’re in your race car. It’s too bad, but come to the racetrack and you’ll see anything.”