Spain's Alex Palou may have won the Indianapolis 500, but in the race's opening moments its top newsmaker was New Zealand's Scott McLaughlin.
McLaughlin ignominiously crashed on the race's pace lap—the lap, for the motorsport-agnostic—designed to allow cars to warm up before the race begins. Fox's broadcast and photographers captured the 31-year-old's devastation as his fifth crack at IndyCar's flagship race came to an abrupt end.
Afterward, McLaughlin reflected on his sadness in two comments that reflected racing's reverence for the race.
First, he told Fox the crash was "by far the worst moment of my life"—apologizing to his family, fans and sponsors in a post-race interview.
“By far the worst moment of my life."@smclaughlin93 shares his thoughts after crashing on the pace laps of the #Indy500. pic.twitter.com/gbbRZrS6HP
— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 25, 2025
Then, he summed up his feelings in a one-sentence social media post.
"I’d never wish this feeling on my worst enemy," he wrote.
I’d never wish this feeling on my worst enemy.#INDY500 #Thirsty3s pic.twitter.com/ZGy8qzZL08
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) May 25, 2025
McLaughlin finished sixth in 2024 from pole position—a highlight of a season where he won three times and finished third in the series for a second straight year.
Despite a tough outing, he remained positive as he turned his attention to next Sunday's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
I truly don’t know what happened. Just touched the throttle and around we went. I’m absolutely gutted for my crew, @Team_Penske, @Pennzoil and all of our fans. We’ll be back stronger next year. I’m sorry. See ya in Detroit. ✌️#INDY500 #INDYCAR
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) May 25, 2025
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Scott McLaughlin Had Two Really Sad Comments After Crashing on Pace Lap of Indy 500.
