For NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, the first leg of his second attempt at “The Double” has come to an early end, after a multi-car accident at Lap 92 of the 2025 Indianapolis 500.
Piloting the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren, Larson was sitting inside the top-20 on a mid-race restart, when the Elk Grove, California-native got squirrely between Turns 1 and 2, and clipped the apron, spinning around quickly and back into traffic.
An on-board look at Kyle Larson’s wreck in the #Indy500. He is done for the day.
Indy 500 on FOX pic.twitter.com/JFAuvjpB7j
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 25, 2025
As Larson turned around and spun back into traffic, he collected Kyffin Simpson, driver of the No. 8 Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing, and Sting Ray Robb, driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing.
After starting 19th, the 32-year-old driver had struggled to move forward in the pack, an issue that was further compounded by the fact that his No. 17 stalled while attempting to leave his pit stall on the first set of caution flag stops.
The accident means that Larson, making his second attempt at running “The Double”, will NOT become the second driver to complete all 1,100 miles between the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
“It was a bit crazy there on the start,” said Larson. “I got like tight behind Takuma [Sato], I was really close to him, and I think as I finally got to the left of him, I got loose and I just kind of got all over the place, yeah, so I spun.”
Kyle Larson explains what happened after crashing out of the #Indy500 on FOX. pic.twitter.com/wv2GqSzrpZ
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 25, 2025
However, with the slight delay that occurred at the start of the Indianapolis 500, Larson and Hendrick Motorsports no longer need to worry about the NASCAR Cup Series driver getting back to Charlotte, North Carolina for the running of the Coca-Cola 600.
“Just hate that I got too eager there on the restart and caused that crash, so hate it for everyone else who also got caught up into it. Just, bummed out, so try to get over this quickly and get on to Charlotte and forget about it and try it again next time.”
The one positive for Larson, who will start second in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, is that he currently has the fastest lap of the race in the Indianapolis 500, as the first driver to break into the 39-second bracket and record a speed of more than 225mph.
Larson will now make his way to an airport in Indianapolis before taking a 70-minute flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he will definitely make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway in time for driver introductions at 5:25 PM ET.
It’s the third crash for Larson in his second bid at the Indianapolis 500.
The NASCAR Cup Series winner crashed once during Open Testing in April, and again on Fast Friday during practice ahead of qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.
