It was a forgettable day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Kyle Larson.
In his second bid to become the fifth driver to race the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, Larson crashed shortly after a Lap 91 restart that also involved Sting Ray Robb and Kyffin Simpson.
Larson backed his No. 17 Dallara-Chevrolet into the Turn 2 wall after losing control on entry. He walked from the car and waited with track workers for a trip to the care center.
May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Arrow McLaren driver Kyle Larson (17) crashes Sunday, May 25, 2025, during the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jef I. Richards-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Jef I. Richards-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
“It was a bit crazy there on the start,” Larson, who would finish 27th after completing 91 laps, told Fox Sports. “I got like tight behind Takuma (Sato). I was really close to him, and as I got loose and kind of got all over the place. So I spun. So just hate that I got a little too eager there on the restart and caused that crash. Hate it for everybody else that caught up in it.
“Just bummed out. So try to get over this quickly. And get on to Charlotte and just forget about it.”
The only silver lining is that the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion should arrive in plenty of time for the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A helicopter taking Larson to the Indianapolis airport lifted off in the track’s infield at around 3:20 p.m.
His luck might be better at the 1.5-mile track in the longest race of the NASCAR season. Larson has three victories in the first 12 points race of the Cup Series season and won two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway, the most recent 1.5-mile race on the schedule.
Larson’s third crash in the past month at the Brickyard capped a frustrating race. He also endured a clutch mistake on a pit stop that sent him to the rear of the field for a Lap 31 restart.
It already was iffy on whether Larson would have been able to complete the Indy 500 before heading to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Despite a promising forecast, a popup shower drifted over the track shortly after noon.
A scheduled green flag of 12:46 p.m. ET was delayed by nearly 45 minutes, and the race was under yellow when it finally started because of a crash on the parade laps by Scott McLaughlin.
Then the Lap 4 restart immediately went under caution for a Marco Andretti wreck. The yellow flew again for rain on Lap 20 of a choppy race that featured numerous driver errors.
His second attempt at the #Indy500 is over.@KyleLarsonRacin day ends after 91 laps. pic.twitter.com/II8TZ4HmFr
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) May 25, 2025
