Driver Mike Conway’s Indy 500 dream turned into a nightmare

Reporting from Indianapolis -- Mike Conway quickly went from experiencing the moment IndyCar drivers dream about — leading the Indianapolis 500 late in the race — to suffering one of their worst nightmares.

The 26-year-old British driver was involved in a horrific crash not long after leading the 94th Indy 500 Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a race won by Dario Franchitti.

Conway suffered multiple fractures to his lower left leg that required surgery Sunday night, Dr. Michael Olinger, Indy Racing League director of medical services, said in a statement.

The driver also had a compression fracture of one of his thoracic vertebrae in the middle segment of his spine and was being fitted for a back brace that he’ll have to wear for three months, thus preventing him from racing, Olinger said.

A second-year IndyCar driver for the Dreyer & Reinbold team who started the race in 15th, Conway took the lead on Lap 163 after he, teammate Justin Wilson and two other drivers opted to stay on the track while Franchitti and other leaders made pit stops.

Conway, too, later had to stop for fuel and Franchitti regained the lead. Then, as Franchitti took the white flag for the final lap, behind him Conway clipped the slowing car of Ryan Hunter-Reay as they worked their way through the third and fourth turns of the 2.5-mile speedway.

In an instant, Conway’s car went airborne, started to flip and crashed into the fence. Conway was conscious and alert when safety officials reached him, and he was quickly airlifted to the hospital. He finished the race 19th.

Hunter-Reay, who finished 18th, suffered an injured thumb in a separate incident and required surgery, and he’s expected to drive in the series’ next race Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway, Olinger said. Two spectators in the grandstands also were treated for minor cuts after being struck by debris from the Conway crash, a speedway official said.

After seeing television replays of the crash, Hunter-Reay said Conway’s car “should have come down on my head; I don’t know how it didn’t. I guess it came down on the [in-car] camera, right on top, and at 230 mph that’s as close as it gets.”

Hunter-Reay, driving for the Andretti Autosport team, said his car was running out of fuel as Conway charged toward him. “It came down into Turn 3 and it just died,” he said. “The car died, and that’s when Mike latched over me.”

This was only Conway’s second Indy 500; he finished 18th last year after starting 27th.

james.peltz@latimes.com