Kurt Busch: Crash At Indy 500 Practice In Preparation For ‘The Double’ Results In New Car

Kurt Busch started off a huge week of preparing to race both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 — aka “The Double” — with a crash, reports the Associated Press.

During Kurt’s Monday afternoon run practice around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Busch suddenly catapulted out of a light group of traffic and slammed into the wall of turn two, his no. 26 car ricocheting back across the track trailing flames and leaving pieces in its wake.

Kurt Busch’s car finally came to rest on the infield grass as other racers slalomed through the crash’s path and debris.

Kurt Busch got out of the mangled wreck under his own power and was cleared to drive after being checked out by race track medical staff.

Initial reports held out hope for the car, reported ABC News, but it has since been learned that Kurt Busch will be in a new ride come time for Sunday’s historic race, and Busch’s own historic attempt to cover 1100 intense, high speed miles in two races.

Kurt Busch and his unfortunate turn in his 26 can be seen below:

I was starting to feel comfortable,” said Busch, reflecting on the crash. “That’s when I made the mistake of just letting my guard down, or settling into that long-run type mentality, whereas with an Indy car you have to be on edge. You have to keep track of where you are at all times and the adjustments in the car. Maybe I just didn’t keep up with keeping the car underneath me. Trying to get into that rhythm and feel other things around you and I got behind on my adjustments in the car… I was 100 percent just working in traffic. Just trying to settle in and not make mistakes and I just made a mistake.”

The initial optimism that Busch’s Andretti Autosport crew had for the 26 car was based on their talent to repair the unrepairable, but also that they had until Friday to rebuild it. Since the realization that the 26 was, in fact, unrepairable within the given time, Busch has been given an alternate vehicle from teammate Marco Andretti’s herd, reports USA Today.

Kurt Busch was having a great month prepping for his first Indianapolis 500, and this was his first crash. Winds were reportedly blowing through turn 2 where the crash occurred, and may have been part of the reason for the crash, though that is pure speculation at this point.

Regardless, come Sunday, 1100 grueling miles await Kurt Busch as he joins an elite group of racers that have attempted “The Double.”

Image via Autoweek.com, video via Youtube