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Scott McLaughlin had a harrowing practice experience at the Indy 500 on Sunday. His car went airborne after it slammed into the wall on the track just ahead of Pole Day qualifying.
Video showed the car sliding and spinning across the track after the hard collision with the wall before finally coming to a stop. McLaughlin is not the first driver to flip over.
In the past few days, at least two others have also experienced frightening airborne moments.
Kyffin Simpson flipped over during Fast Friday, with Colton Herta went airborne during Saturday’s qualifying.
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McLaughlin was able to emerge from the wreckage and appeared to avoid any major injuries.
Mclaughlin received a medical evaluation. Shortly after he was released from a care center, he said he was “fine.” He also offered an apology to Team Penske.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Mclaughlin said. “I’m just really, really sorry for everyone at Team Penske, the guys on the #3 car and everyone who builds these fantastic cars. It (the car) was talking to me and I sort of felt it and I probably should have backed out. But you try to complete a run to see what it feels like. Was it (worth) the risk? Probably wasn’t. Incredibly sad. That’s basically what it felt like. You just try and brace yourself, and I was just hoping I didn’t go into the catch-fence. Very grateful to IndyCar, the safety, my team, the SAFER Barriers and everything like that, because it kept me safe.”
Shortly before the crash, McLaughlin managed to propel to the top of the charts in Fast 12 practice. The disastrous moment happened during Turn 2 on Sunday.
The left-rear wheel suffered visible, severe damage immediately upon impact. The racing line next to the Turn 2 exit was left with a noticeable gouge. There was a stoppage in action and crews were deployed to make repairs.
The SAFER Barrier also suffered considerable damage.
McLaughlin, last year’s Indy 500 pole-sitter, will not participate in Fast 12 qualifying. Therefore, McLaughlin’s official starting position on the Indy 500 grid will be No. 12.
The Indy 500 will be broadcast May 25 on FOX with pre-coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET. It will also be available to stream live on FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports app.
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