Scott McLaughlin’s hopes of repeating his Indianapolis 500 pole-winning performance were shattered after he crashed his Team Penske car during Sunday afternoon practice. McLaughlin, who had qualified inside the top 12 on Saturday, was eligible to compete for the pole position later in the day. However, he lost control of his car, spinning into the wall at Turn 2. The impact destroyed his car, and Team Penske decided not to attempt another qualifying run, placing him in 12th position for the race.
The car McLaughlin was driving was Penske’s backup speedway vehicle, initially intended for teammate Josef Newgarden’s use in the upcoming pit crew competition. McLaughlin, who had played a key role in Penske’s front-row sweep during last year’s qualifying, was visibly upset after being released from the medical center. He expressed his regret, saying, “I’m OK, I’m just really, really sorry for everyone at Team Penske.” He admitted that he probably should have backed out of the run but was trying to gauge what the car felt like during the attempt.
While McLaughlin was relieved that the car didn’t go airborne into the catchfence, the crash did cause damage to the track, which led to a temporary stoppage while workers repaired the surface. McLaughlin lamented the situation, saying, “They can build a new car for me, but I’m just really gutted. It’s hard to take, like you wish it was for something, but it was for nothing, right? In practice.”
The crash also took an emotional toll on McLaughlin as he was rattled to see his wife crying after the incident, worried about his safety. “They’re nervous about me,” he said. “I wanted to get out of the car straight away just so she knew I was OK.”
McLaughlin’s crash was part of a series of incidents at Indianapolis over the weekend. Marcus Armstrong and Colton Herta also crashed, with Armstrong needing to use a backup car to qualify on Sunday. Herta, however, secured his place in the race after qualifying inside the top 30 once his car was ready for qualifying.
