Kyle Larson Crashes in Indy 500 Testing, Blames Himself for Mistake

Kyle Larson suffered his first IndyCar crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during testing for the Indy 500, hitting the wall twice after spinning in the first turn. Larson blamed himself for the mistake and was checked at the infield hospital before being cleared and released. He is attempting to complete racing's "double" - Indianapolis and Charlotte in one day.

Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR champion and defending Brickyard 400 winner, suffered his first IndyCar crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during testing for the Indy 500. The incident occurred on Thursday, April 24, 2025, during the second day of open testing on the 2.5-mile oval [1].

Larson spun coming out of the first turn and hit the wall twice before his No. 17 Chevrolet rolled to a stop. He blamed himself for the mistake, stating he forgot to hit the weight jacker going into the turn [2]. Larson was checked at the infield hospital before being cleared and released.

Larson is attempting to complete racing's "double" — competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. This is a rare feat, with the last driver to achieve it being Kurt Busch in 2014 [3]. Larson's first attempt was thwarted by a rain delay in the 2024 Indy 500 that saw him arrive to the NASCAR race just as that race was called off for weather.

This time, Larson is driving the Arrow McLaren car with a hybrid system that carries more weight, which is making its Indy debut. He acknowledged that the car felt different and noted he needed the track's refresher course to help him adjust to the new handling [2].

Larson was not the only familiar name to crash on Thursday. Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato also crashed early in the session, losing the back end of his car in the first turn and smacking the wall hard in the short chute before rolling to a stop [2]. Both drivers were checked at the infield hospital and were released.

Graham Rahal also tapped the wall late in Wednesday's practice [2]. This week's biggest scare came when Rinus VeeKay's car ran out of fuel in traffic, sending several drivers scrambling to narrowly avert a multicar collision [2].

Qualifying for the 500 is set for May 17-18, with the Greatest Spectacle in Racing scheduled for May 25 [1].

References:
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/INDYCAR/comments/1k6txu7/kyle_larson_crash_during_the_indianapolis_500/
[2] https://apnews.com/article/indianapolis-500-testing-larson-a8b32f228d0d9c31417f85eaf327a11d
[3] https://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/44836255/kyle-larson-takes-first-crash-indy-500-practice-miscue

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