“We’ve destroyed the car”: Scott McLaughlin delivers an update after horror crash at Indy 500 practice
Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin had a horrific crash in the latest practice at the 2025 Indy 500. His car went flying into the air during Practice 7, and with him now being out of the upcoming qualifying session for the pole, McLaughlin shared an update on his wrecked car.
Scott McLaughlin took to his official X account to talk about his horrific crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway practice. He revealed that his team destroyed the car after the crash and will build their next car 'fast'.
"First and foremost, I’m good. Thank you to @indycar for their commitment to safety and my team for building great cars. Unfortunately, we’ve destroyed the car. I’m so sorry to @team_penske and the #thirsty3s for that, but we are going to build our next car just as fast and have a crack from 12th at the greatest race in the world. Thank you to the fans and bring on race day," McLaughlin wrote.
Scott McLaughlin ended Saturday's qualifying in the Top 12 with an impressive second-place finish behind the Chip Ganassi Racing driver Alex Palou (three-time IndyCar champion).
Scott McLaughlin managed P4 at Sonsio GP heading into 'best race' at IMS
With Scott McLaughlin locked into a P12 starting position for next week's Indy 500 following his practice crash, he still would have a decent shot in the race. Especially considering that he managed a P4 finish in last week's Sonsio GP at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course layout.
The 31-year-old ended his outing behind his Penske teammate Will Power (P3), Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward (P2), and Alex Palou (P1). During the post-race interviews, he expressed his disappointment with the result and turned his focus to the next 'best race'.
"I should be upset with a fourth. I think we could have gotten second today but I made a mistake on the pit exchange, and I lost a couple of spots. And that was our day. I will take a fourth. But it could have easily been a second and my first podium at Indy. Next race is the best race of the year," McLaughlin said via Team Penske.
He further added:
"I thought it was a bold move to start on the black tires, and I was super fast on those tires. I was proud of the guys for that move. We made some big inroads with the car over the weekend. Now I can't wait to get on the oval this week."
Scott McLaughlin is one of the top names in America's highest class of open-wheel racing. Having amassed 68 IndyCar race starts since his debut in 2020, he has already secured seven Grand Prix wins, 19 podiums, and nine pole positions. Moreover, he ended the 2024 IndyCar campaign in third place in the standings with 505 points.
The 2025 IndyCar season is five rounds down, and Scott McLaughlin currently finds himself in fifth place in the drivers' standings with 137 points. In the process of doing so, he has also managed one pole position, three top-fives, and four top-ten finishes.
In last year's Indy 500, McLaughlin managed a strong P6 finish behind Alex Palou. Keeping in view everything that has been discussed, it will be fascinating to see how he will perform in next week's event, starting from P12 on the grid.
His Penske teammate, Josef Newgarden, is being seen as one of the favorites to triumph in the event after winning the 2023 and 2024 editions of 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing'.