Indianapolis – Bruno Junqueira, who was involved in the worst of seven accidents in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500, came out of successful back surgery Monday but could miss the rest of the Champ Car World Series season.
“He came out of surgery and was awake and alert,” Kathi Lauterbach, spokesman for Newman/Haas Racing, said from Methodist Hospital. “It went very well and there is no paralysis.”
Junqueira, a two-time winner at the Grand Prix of Denver, suffered a “fracture/dislocation from the T-12 vertebrae through the L-1 vertebrae without spinal-cord injury,” Lauterbach said.
She said doctors used two rods and 10 screws to repair damage caused by a hard backward hit into the turn two wall after Junqueira, running sixth, was clipped by the lapped car of A.J. Foyt IV. The accident on lap 77 knocked Junqueira unconscious and totaled his car, sponsored by Centrix Financial of Centennial.
Junqueira is expected to remain hospitalized through the week.
“They think he’ll be able to begin rehab pretty quick,” Lauterbach said. “(Racing again) hasn’t been discussed. They’re going to sit him up (Monday night) and stand him up (today). It all depends on how that goes.”
The fourth Grand Prix of Denver is Aug. 12-14. Junqueira won the 2002 race while with Chip Ganassi Racing and in 2003 for Newman/Haas. He finished third last year behind runner-up Paul Tracy and Newman/Haas teammate Sebastien Bourdais.
Larry Foyt is expected to be released from the hospital today after being fitted with a back brace. He slammed into the wall on lap 14 and had a chip fracture in his lower spine.
Fifth good for Lazier
The fifth-place finish by Buddy Lazier of Vail reinforced how the 2000 IRL champion felt after signing a one-race deal with Panther Racing in April.
“I knew when I signed on with this team that I’d have a real chance to win this race,” said Lazier, the best finisher with a Chevrolet engine. “I think we would have made a great run for it if we didn’t have a problem with our front wing.”
Lazier, who damaged two sets of front wings, qualified ninth but crashed during a warm-up lap in Friday’s final practice. His car was rebuilt to protect his starting position. If he went to his backup car he would have been forced to start last.
“To come back from where we were two days ago says a lot about all these guys,” Lazier said of his team. “I really want to be back driving IndyCar full-time. And I hope it’s with these guys.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5453 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
