INDIANAPOLIS -- Mike Conway can't catch a break at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- or maybe it's his own fault he wrecks.
The aggressive-driving Englishman, who runs for the great A.J. Foyt, crashed into the wall between Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 79 of Sunday's Indy 500.
He did the same on the last lap of the 2010 race at the other end of the speedway, soaring into the safety fence and suffering serious injuries.
On Sunday, Conway, who a few laps earlier left the pits after running into one of his crewman and damaging the front wing of his No. 14 Dallara/Honda, lost control of his car, spun and was struck from behind by Team Penske's Will Power, who was in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
Conway's machine flew into the fence, came apart and lost a tire that bounced across the track, striking the front right wheel of Helio Castroneves' No. 3 Chevrolet.
Conway and Power, whose No. 12 car sustained heavy damage to the front suspension, were not injured in the crash.
Conway had been running strong to that point in the race.
"Everything has got to fall your way" to win the Indy 500, Foyt said after the wreck. "At least he's a competitive driver."
Conway had started 29th. Power, one of the favorites, took the green flag in fifth position.
"I'm sorry for our sponsor ABC as the car was really good, and we were moving through the field," Conway said. "I'm very sorry for my cars."
Slow pokes: Former Formula One driver Jean Alesi was black-flagged for being too slow on the track.
Alesi, 47, who started last in the field of 33 cars in the No. 64 Lotus, completed just nine laps. He was running at 201 m.p.h. when the flag was waved at him. Alesi said he wants to return to Indy with a more competitive car next year.
The only other Lotus-powered car in the race, Simona de Silvestro's No. 78, also was black-flagged for going too slow.
Wheldon memorialized: The life of the late Dan Wheldon was celebrated right up to when the cars rolled off the grid Sunday, during the 500 and after.
Spectators at the track were given white cardboard sunglasses to wear in honor of Wheldon, who was rarely seen without his white shades before and after a race.
They were asked to wear the glasses on the first parade lap, on Lap 26 and Lap 98, his car numbers when he won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011.
Wheldon's team owner, Bryan Herta, drove the Englishman's No. 98 Honda on a lap of honor around IMS before the race.
Following his third Indy 500 victory, Dario Franchitti, sporting white sunglasses, kissed the Yard of Bricks and Wheldon's widow, Susie.
Wheldon, one of the most popular drivers to compete at Indianapolis, died Oct. 16, 2011, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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