INDIANAPOLIS — The woman whose car was hit by a tire following a crash in the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 officially has a new ride.
13News caught up with Robin Matthews at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with her new car: a 2023 Chevy Equinox, which she appropriately named "Snowball 2" — and parked in the exact same spot as its predecessor on Race Day.
Matthews' Chevy Cruze was totaled during the Greatest Spectacle in Racing when a tire that flew off of Kyle Kirkwood's car during a late-race crash hit the vehicle, which was parked outside of Turn 2.
Matthews spoke with 13News hours after the race and said she was working a Turn 2 suite when the crash happened and didn't believe the news of the damage at first.
"We saw the tire go over because I was in Turn 2, and they said a tire went over,” Matthews said. “Somebody said that it hit one of the golf carts. Well, I was parked by a golf cart. I looked, and I saw the back of my car, and I'm like, 'OK,' I didn't think anything. Then, somebody from another suite was like, ‘Robin, it was your car.'"
After learning it was her car that was hit, Matthews said she became anxious and nervous, but thankful there were no injuries to fans at the track.
"My car's name is 'Snowball,' she took one for the team,” Matthews said.
She told 13News "Snowball" was paid off and she just wanted something she can drive to work without a car payment.
After the race, IMS President Doug Boles sent Matthews home in the 2023 Chevy Equinox. Matthews said she loved the car and worked out an arrangement for her to keep it.
According to Matthews, this is her first-ever brand-new car.
IndyCar officials retrieved the wheel after the incident and are investigating what caused it to break free to make sure it doesn't happen again.
For the last 24 years, the racing series has mandated a wheel-suspension tether, which uses high-performance Zylon material. It can withstand a force of over 22,000 pounds. IndyCar was the first sanctioning body in the United States to require its use.
IndyCar said the tether did not fail in the crash, but it's not clear what caused the wheel to fly off the track.