IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin miraculously walked away from a scary crash ahead of the Grand Prix of Alabama.
The Team Penske driver, 32, was in the middle of a practice run at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday, March 28, when his car spun out and crashed its rear end through a fence at the edge of the course. Multiple media outlets reported that McLaughlin was not injured despite how frightening the collision seemed.
Shortly after the incident, McLaughlin assured his fans that he will be back on the course for Sunday’s race.
“That one’s on me. P14 for the show tomorrow. Super proud of the #Thirsty3’s and everyone at @team_penske for putting our battery wagon back together,” McLaughlin wrote via Instagram on Saturday night. “She’s still quick, and we’ll be ready to get to work in the morning.”
During live TV coverage, Fox Sports 1 commentators explained to viewers just how close McLaughlin came to a potentially catastrophic situation. A dashcam video showed the driver bringing his hands to his head in order to brace for impact as he turned the car enough so it wouldn’t crash headfirst into the safety barrier.
“That’s got to be a 150 mile-per-hour impact into the tire stack,” a commentator explained, before clarifying that the speed may actually have been closer to 170 miles per hour.
“Guys, at the end of the day, all of this [safety] equipment absolutely did its job,” one of the reporters told viewers. “It slowed the car down.”
His colleague agreed, saying. “[The safety equipment] allowed Scott to slow down and and [be saved] from a horrible impact. A horrible incident out here at Turn One.”
The FS1 commentary team likened the high-tensile strength safety cables inside McLaughlin’s car to a “resting F14 [fighter jet] on an aircraft carrier.”
“Those cables absolutely kept McLaughlin inside the stadium and not into the parkland,” a reporter explained on air.
Moments after the crash, McLaughlin was shown climbing out of his “totally destroyed” car with assistance from the on-site emergency team. He embraced some of Team Penske pit crew members and ultimately walked away on his own power.
Later in the day, McLaughlin thanked his Team Penske pit crew for helping get his car back into shape for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Alabama.
“So lucky for my team, but not only the #thirsty3s but everyone on the 2 car and the 12 car that pitched in today,” he wrote via Instagram. “Then to build me a whole new car for me to have the confidence to ship in qualifying. Thank you team. Team Sport, this thing is ready to go for tomorrow.”
McLaughlin joined Team Penske’s lineup for the IndyCar Series in 2021, officially making his debut at the Firestone Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, Florida. He later finished third in the IndyCar Series in 2023 and 2024 and had his best showing at the Indy 500 in 2024, where he finished sixth overall.
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