Herta’s Crash Disrupts Indianapolis 500 Qualifying
Indianapolis, IN – Colton Herta’s attempt at Indianapolis 500 qualifying was abruptly halted on Saturday when he lost control of his No. 26 Honda during his first flying lap, resulting in a high-speed crash.
As Herta approached Turn 1, the car snapped loose, sending him backward into the wall. The impact caused the car to lift off the ground, landing upside down and sliding along the track until hitting the Turn 2 wall, which further exacerbated the incident. The crash resulted in an 18-minute delay in the qualifying session as the AMR Safety Team responded promptly.
Herta, who was traveling at approximately 235 mph at the time of the incident, managed to extricate himself from the vehicle and was assessed by medical staff on-site. He was subsequently cleared from the infield care center, though he will need to utilize a backup car for the remainder of the qualifying rounds.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Herta remarked. “Luckily, nowadays, these crashes look a lot scarier than they feel… Just a terrible day for this to happen.”
This incident marks the second airborne crash of the week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, following Kyffin Simpson’s similar accident during practice. While Simpson’s car righted itself, Herta’s situation proved more dire.
With qualifying still in progress, Herta and his team face a pressing challenge to prepare a backup car ahead of Bump Day. As the situation develops, Herta’s resilience and determination remain evident, with his focus on maximizing performance in the face of adversity.
