Pato O'Ward's IndyCar Series championship chances damaged

Pato O'Ward's IndyCar Series championship chances took a severe hit in a tight turn in Nashville.

Graham Rahal got into the back of O'Ward in Turn 7 on Lap 26 of 80 of the Music City Grand Prix on Sunday. Rahal's car ended up with the worst of the damage, but O'Ward couldn't continue.

Rahal said he couldn't see what happened in front of him that caused so many cars to check up, but he apologized for hitting O'Ward.

Weather issues:Start of IndyCar's Music City Grand Prix delayed due to rain, lightning hold

O'Ward came into the race in fifth place, 46 points behind leader Will Power. O'Ward was left with a 24th-place finish.

The incident also involved championship contender Scott Dixon, who needed an extended pit stop to assess and repair damage. (He went on to win the race, his 53rd career victory, passing Mario Andretti for second most in series history. A.J. Foyt has 67.) Also in on the unfortunate action: Dalton Kellett, Helio Castroneves, Simona de Silvestro and Callum Ilott.

Rahal's car was repaired and he returned to the track, but he crashed into a tire barrier on Lap 53. He finished 23rd.

Colton Herta makes wall contact early

Herta recovered from his early contact and finished fifth.

Other drivers involved in crashes

Takuma Sato and Devlin DeFrancesco were eliminated after getting together. Also, Callum Ilott and Alexander Rossi touched. On Lap 65, rookies Kyle Kirkwood and David Malukas get together and take each other out.

In the final 10 laps, Jimmie Johnson had a single-car crash.

With 4 laps to go, Josef Newgarden and Romain Grosjean got together, bringing out a red flag. Grosjean was eliminated and Newgarden continued.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar crashes damage championship hopes for many drivers