Kyle Larson Suffers Accident in Practice for the Indianapolis 500
NASCAR driver Kyle Larson crashed for the second time during preparations for the Indianapolis 500. The incident occurred on Friday, when he lost control of his Arrow McLaren vehicle and hit the wall in the final practice session before the weekend’s qualifying rounds.
Despite the mishap, the damage was relatively minor. Larson’s team spent approximately one hour repairing the front and rear of the car, allowing him to return to the track and complete some valuable laps in the final 30 minutes of the six-hour session.
This is the second time Larson has crashed at the circuit, following an incident on April 24 during an open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson is seeking to complete “The Double”, participating in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Last year, Larson finished 18th in the 500, which was delayed by rain, but was unable to run in the NASCAR race in Charlotte due to weather conditions.
Obviously it’s complicated. I went off. I don’t know. It took me by surprise a little bit, but I think we’ll be okay. I tend to get over things pretty quickly. I know I went off, but my balance felt pretty good.
Kyle Larson
Larson waited until about 90 minutes remained in Friday’s practice, marked by high temperatures and strong winds that made conditions treacherous, before attempting his first qualifying simulation. He hadn’t gone far into the run when his No. 17 car slid up the track, hit the wall with the front, and then spun and hit it again.
This accident occurred several hours after Kyffin Simpson also crashed into the wall with force, almost flipping his car.
Larson’s damaged car was lifted and taken to Gasoline Alley, where Arrow McLaren set to work to repair it. In addition to the final laps he completed on Friday, the team will have a one-hour practice session on Saturday morning before qualifying begins at 11 a.m. ET.
I’m sure that, at this moment, we’ll want to go out and try it. If not, you still have time to do some runs tomorrow. The track conditions will be better and I’m sure we’ll put some extra downforce on to be safe in that first race and run a race. I’m not too worried about that.
Kyle Larson
