INDIANAPOLIS — Fast Friday became Scary Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Next up: Pole Day.

Just before rain interrupted practice for the third consecutive day, veteran crew member Chuck Buckman, a former co-owner of PDM Racing who recently joined Dale Coyne Racing to be the chief mechanic for rookie Mario Moraes' car, was struck by both of Danica Patrick's left-side tires and knocked to the concrete portion of pit road.

Buckman, who lives in Indianapolis, was walking toward Marco Andretti's parked car when he appeared to see Patrick's car diving into her pit box. Buckman stumbled and his left leg was clipped by her left front tire, knocking him in the air. His head then hit her rear tire before he was thrown to the ground.

Buckman suffered a concussion and scalp and facial abrasions, but he was awake and alert Friday night at an area hospital.

"I really don't remember how it happened," Buckman said in a statement distributed by the Speedway. "All I remember is I was talking with someone on Marco Andretti's team and then everything is blank from that point."

Former 500 winner Mario Andretti was standing only a few feet away, and he turned to see Buckman flying through the air.

"She must have hit him big-time, then he walloped the ground," Andretti said. "It was like, bam!"

Marco Andretti saw it, too.

"Obviously, Danica was just racing; there's a lot going on (on pit road)," he said. "You don't like to see that kind of thing, but, you know, it's not Danica's fault; it's not anybody's fault. Stuff happens."

Said Patrick: "It's really, really unfortunate what happened. Thoughts and prayers are with him, with his family and hopefully he can get back to the track soon and be able to do what he loves."

Earlier in the day, rookie driver Alex Lloyd crashed in the first turn. His car appeared to push out of the preferred racing line, and he slammed into the outside wall.

A neck examination showed no fractures, but he was to be held overnight for observation. He will not participate in Saturday's pole qualifying session.

Lloyd, a Ganassi Racing driver working out of the Rahal Letterman Racing stable, has been considered one of the leading candidates for Rookie of the Year. The damaged car was the one used by Scott Dixon to win the IndyCar Series' season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March.

The spotlight is on Dixon, a Ganassi driver, for a different reason. He turned the fastest lap of Friday's abbreviated practice — a week-best 226.968 mph.

Marco Andretti was second at 226.710 mph with fellow Andretti Green Racing driver Tony Kanaan third at 226.688 and Team Penske's Ryan Briscoe fourth at 226.143.

But none of them believe those speeds will materialize when qualifying for the first 11 starting positions begins at noon Saturday.

"I think we could see everybody's speeds fell off when they were (driving) by themselves," Dixon said.

Said Andretti: "If I can run that (speed) on my own I'm going to be on the pole by a lot."

Dixon is convinced that Kanaan and Helio Castroneves are the drivers to beat Saturday. They have combined for three poles in this event, often in dramatic style.

In 2003, Kanaan and Castroneves made breathtaking runs amid winds gusting above 25 mph. They started 1-2, with Kanaan getting the victory.

Last year, both jumped to the front row in the final 8 minutes. Castroneves won the pole by what amounted to inches over four laps.

No one is sure what to expect from Saturday's action. Because of the rain, the veterans have had just under nine hours of practice, 37 percent of which was scheduled. There is a practice Saturday from 9-11 a.m.

Friday's other incident involved former Champ Car World Series veteran Mario Dominguez, who is preparing for his first IndyCar race. He spun his car while beginning the transition off pit road at the south end of the track. The car suffered minor left-front damage when it struck the inside wall.