INDIANAPOLIS — It was one of the scariest moments from this year's Indy 500 practice sessions. Just days before the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, a crash during practice sent Stefan Wilson to the hospital.
He had a broken back.
(NOTE: The video at the top of this story is from a Race Day interview at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.)
Just 15 days later, Wilson sat down to talk with 13Sports director Dave Calabro about the road to recovery.
When everyone else was making final preparations for the 107th Indianapolis 500, Wilson was down the road at IU Health Methodist Hospital, getting the news that he needed surgery and would miss the race.
It's remarkable to see how far he has come.
Wilson is very driven and admits he's lucky. On Tuesday, he was at PitFit Training on the northwest side as the comeback begins. A simple treadmill walk is a giant step forward.
"There's a lot of drivers out there that have had similar injury and had a similar procedure done that have made full recoveries and gone on to win the Indy 500. So that's the goal for me, is to get back to full health and then start the process of regaining all the strength that I had before the injury and the incident," Wilson said. "Just fully focused on 2024 and getting back to the biggest race in the world."
The brace around his chest will stay in place for three months. The two titanium rods in his back will stay with him the rest of his life. The x-rays remind him of his three-hour surgery, but he's determined to race once again next May.
"I have goals," he said. "I have, you know, achievements that I want to reach and this trying to win the Indy 500 is the biggest goal of my life and to give up on that right now would be worse than anything I can imagine."
Wilson knows all about the dangers. His big brother, Justin, was killed in an IndyCar race eight years ago, but Stef won't give up on the dream they shared together.
"Seeing how dedicated he was to this mission of winning the Indy 500, that inspires me. I think if it was just about me and my own personal self wanting to achieve this, I probably would have given up on it a long time ago. But, for me, it's more than just my own personal glory. It's about trying to achieve something that he never got the chance to.
Doctors will slowly clear Wilson for more workouts.
He knows it's going to be literally one step at time to get back in the race car, but don't count him out for next year's Indianapolis 500.