INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson experienced his first crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, the second day that Indianapolis 500 drivers participated in open testing on the 2.5-mile oval.
The 2021 NASCAR champion spun coming out of the first turn, hit the wall, bounced down to the warmup lane before tapping the wall a second time and eventually rolling to a stop.
Larson blamed himself, saying he forgot to hit the weight jacker going into the turn.
He wasn't the only familiar name to crash on Thursday. Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato also crashed early in the session, losing the back end of his car in the first turn and smacking the wall hard in the short chute before rolling to a stop.
Both drivers were checked at the infield hospital and were released.
Graham Rahal also tapped the wall late in Wednesday's practice.
Series officials added horsepower to each of the 32 cars on Thursday as they test the IndyCar hybrid, which makes its Indy debut next month. Qualifying for the 500 is set for May 17-18 with the Greatest Spectacle in Racing scheduled for May 25.
