(Video) Kyle Larson SLAMS into the wall during Indy 500 open test

Kyle Larson suffered from a massive shunt in his very first lap of the Indy 500 open test ahead of the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

(Video) Kyle Larson SLAMS into the wall during Indy 500 open test

Kyle Larson (via McLaren), Larson's crash at the Indy500 open test (via IndyCar)

Kyle Larson has put forth some impressive glimpses of performance in the 2025 season. The No. 5 driver recently participated in the Indy 500 open test, as part of his double-duty attempt, which did not go as planned. Larson suffered from a big collision very early into his practice session ahead of the race at Indianapolis. The crash caused the 32-year-old to quit the testing session early on and miss out on crucial time on the track.

Kyle Larson was completing his first full lap of the day while trying to simulate a high-boost qualifying lap. Larson couldn’t control the chassis heading into Turn 1 after missing the bottom line in the turn before. This caused him to understeer and crash into the outside wall and slide into the second turn. The 32-year-old also crashed into the wall ahead of Turn 2 and ultimately came to a stop. The 2021 champion was thankfully unhurt from the incident and came out of the car unscathed.

Following Larson’s terrific crash, the session was red-flagged, and he was sent to the medical center. The 32-year-old soon exited the center and did not require any further medical attention. It seems that the American is still on course to participate in the double duty without any issues. The Chevrolet chassis still sustained massive damage as the right-rear suspension broke off after the first collision. The team will now rush to repair the car ahead of the race and provide Larson with the best opportunities.

Kyle Larson ‘happy’ to crash for the first time in IndyCar and ‘live through it’

Kyle Larson is seldom involved in massive crashes that could be life-threatening for him. However, IndyCar challengers run at extreme speeds and could prove to be fatal for the drivers if the incident is too big. Luckily for Larson, despite the incident looking big, he was left uninjured in the aftermath. The 32-year-old provided clarity behind the reasons for the crash and remained optimistic about his chances in the coming races.

Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson at Darlington (Via IMAGO)

Larson explained that while starting his qualifying lap, the turn got too tight for him, which ultimately caused him to lose control. The 2021 champion highlighted that he lost control due to a bunch of understeer in the Chevrolet chassis. The No. 5 driver reckoned that he was delighted after the session despite being involved in a big crash that caused great damage to his car. The reason for this was that he walked out of the car all alright and lived through his first IndyCar crash.

I was starting my qualifying laps there and just got really tight, Just a bunch of understeer through (Turn) 1 and ran out of space off of Turn 1. So yeah, I kind of fought the understeer feeling yesterday and it carried over to today. Honestly, though I’m happy to crash my first IndyCar and live through it.

Kyle Larson told IndyCar

Following the crash, Larson labeled the quick end to his test session as a bummer since he couldn’t practice with the car much. Still, he remains confident of his chances to score well at Indianapolis and also the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte. Furthermore, the 32-year-old downplayed the intensity of his collision and pointed out that the crash didn’t feel any different than what he expected to go through.

I think when you’re going faster, you know, it really stood out. So yeah, just a bummer. But also encouraging that it didn’t feel — I know it wasn’t like a big hit or anything — but it didn’t feel anything different than what I was expecting.

Kyle Larson explained

The upcoming race day will be extremely tolling for Larson as he will have to race in two different cars for the whole day. The 32-year-old might have to work extra hard on the track to move up the pecking order as his practice session was cut short. The American is looking strong in terms of performance since the beginning of the 2025 season. Hence, time will tell about how the 2021 champion fares against the massive hopes banked in him by the die-hard fans of the sport.