Speaking at Monday night’s Indy 500 Victory Celebration banquet, Kirkwood paid tribute to the AMR safety crew and all the medical team at IndyCar, having been trapped upside down after sliding along the track following the Turn 2 crash when he clipped a spinning Felix Rosenqvist.
The second year driver, who scored his maiden IndyCar win at this year's Long Beach round, was eventually classified 28th.
“When I first had the impact, it was about 80G, obviously you’re flying around a little bit inside the car,” said Kirkwood.
“I think my right knee hit the steering column and banged it up a little bit.
“But 20 minutes later I’m walking around just fine. Thankfully I was OK.
“I have to thank IndyCar Medical. What you guys have done in the past 20 years is absolutely phenomenal, to have these wrecks to walk away from, hats off to you guys, you’re awesome.”
When asked to explain the accident, in which his right-rear wheel was torn from his car upon impact with Rosenqvist and flew over the debris fence, he replied: “It felt like an eternity to be honest.
“I saw Felix go high and into the wall, and the most common thing is for a car to stay up in the wall and ride into Turn 2.
Source: Autosport