What Kyle Larson said after crashing in Indy 500 practice

NASCAR sensation Kyle Larson announced last year that he will participate in the 2025 Indy 500 after a disappointing end to the 2024 race. As a result, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was present at the Indy 500 open test. Larson crashed his car on the second day of the test and came out to detail what exactly happened.

The two-day Indy 500 test took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from April 23 to April 24. Kyle Larson was among the few drivers who drove the heavier hybrid IndyCar for the first time. The NASCAR star had a tough first day and struggled to get the car into a working window where he was comfortable.

Kyle Larson went to the medical centre after the high-speed crash, and later caught up with the reporters to detail the crash. IndyCar's official social media accounts uploaded Larson's interview, as he said,

“Yeah, I just was starting my qualifying laps there and just got really tight. Just a bunch of understeer through one and ran out of space off of turn one. So, yeah, I kind of fought the understeer feeling yesterday and carried over to today.”

“Honestly though, I'm happy to crash my first IndyCar and live through it. Yeah, but we'll just work on it and try and get the balance more comfortable. Yeah, just didn't quite feel like I had the feeling I needed yesterday and then it really carried over today. I think when you're going faster, you know, it really stood out.”

Kyle Larson finished the first day P11 on the timing sheet and detailed how the car was a little understeering in comparison to what he would've liked. This could've been down to the extra added weight from the battery and motors of the hybrid power unit, or just a setup that wasn't too twitchy or too stable.

Breaking down Kyle Larson's crash at the 2025 Indy 500 Open Test

During the first session of the second day, i.e., the qualifying simulation sessions, Kyle Larson binned his Arrow McLaren on the outside of Turn 1, which damaged the front right suspension, followed by another impact on the exit of Turn 2.

At first glance, it seemed that Larson didn't quite hit the apex at Turn 1. He then went a little high as he exited the corner and collided with the wall of the exit. It seemed like a little misjudgment on Larson's part.

However, following the interview and a closer look at the crash, it was clear that the car didn't respond to the NASCAR sensation’s inputs and then slammed into the wall, causing damage to the suspension. For the qualifying session, the boost pressure was increased, which led to the average speed from Day 1.

Drivers were doing average speeds of over 232 mph, nearly 10 mph faster than Day 1. The increase in speed further magnified the understeering issue with Larson's McLaren, which ended up in a collision with the wall.