Scott McLaughlin self-deprecatingly recalled the “stupidest” fateful moment of his career at the Indy 500 – a defeat that nearly made him “the most hated man in Indiana” if he had won the prestigious race in 2025.
In a recent interview on IndyCar’s YouTube channel with James Coker, as part of The Offseason program, Scott McLaughlin reflected on one of the most bizarre and heartbreaking episodes in his racing journey. The New Zealand-born driver, now a Team Penske stalwart and a naturalized U.S.
citizen, chuckled as he described the incident that ended his 2025 Indianapolis 500 before the green flag even waved. What could have been a triumphant day at the Brickyard turned into an unforgettable cautionary tale of how quickly fortunes can flip in motorsport.
The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 25, 2025, carried high expectations for McLaughlin. Starting 10th in the No. 3 Chevrolet, he was viewed as a legitimate contender.
Team Penske’s cars had shown strong pace on ovals, and McLaughlin himself had a history of shining at the iconic 2.5-mile track—he had taken the pole in 2024 and earned Rookie of the Year honors back in 2021 after transitioning from Supercars dominance in Australia.
The buildup to race day included challenges, including a heavy practice crash earlier in the month that sent his car airborne, but he emerged unscathed and ready. Rain delayed the start by nearly an hour, adding tension to an already charged atmosphere.
As the field rolled off for the pace laps under overcast skies and on a cool track, drivers focused on warming their tires. McLaughlin, like the rest, was gently pushing to get heat into the rubber ahead of the one-to-go signal. Then, in an instant, disaster struck.
Approaching the end of the frontstretch, just before the green flag was set to drop, McLaughlin lost control of his car. The rear snapped, sending him into a spin that ended with a heavy head-first impact into the inside wall. The No.
3 machine was destroyed, and McLaughlin’s race was over without completing a single competitive lap. He emerged from the wreckage physically fine but emotionally shattered, crouching in the infield as the reality sank in.
The moment was captured on onboard cameras and broadcast widely, becoming one of the most shocking pre-race incidents in recent Indy 500 history. McLaughlin later described it as devastating, his “heart broken in a million pieces” in immediate aftermath comments.
The crash not only eliminated a top contender but also underscored the razor-thin margins at Indianapolis, where even routine warm-up procedures can go awry.
Fast-forward to early 2026, and McLaughlin has found a way to process the pain through humor. In his reflective interview, he admitted he still hasn’t watched the race replay.
“I don’t want to watch the race because I know that I’m a big part of the start and that sucks,” he said. Yet time has softened the blow. “But at the same time, I laugh about it.
Like it was the stupidest thing I’ve done or the most silliest moments ever happened to me.” He emphasized that mistakes happen to everyone, and in this case, the car simply “got from under me.”
What adds an extra layer of irony—and what McLaughlin highlighted with self-deprecating flair—is how the outcome might have played out differently.
The 2025 Indy 500 coincided with Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks, held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that same day.
Race winner Alex Palou, a vocal Pacers supporter, famously made headlines by heading to the game post-victory, wearing the winner’s wreath and celebrating with the home crowd in a show of local pride.
McLaughlin, an avid Knicks fan, joked that victory would have put him in an awkward spotlight.
“I bet you bottom dollar, if I had won the 500 that day, I was going to that game with my Knicks gear on, and showing myself on the board, like Palou did,” he quipped.
“I would’ve been the most hated individual in Indie, but that’s why it was never meant to be, probably.” The comment drew laughs, but it revealed a deeper truth about the cultural intersection of IndyCar and Indiana life.
With the series headquartered in the state and many in the paddock passionate about the Pacers, a Knicks-supporting winner parading in enemy colors could have sparked playful—or not-so-playful—backlash.
The incident became a defining low point not just for McLaughlin’s 2025 season but perhaps his entire IndyCar tenure to date. He finished 10th in the points standings, a step back from prior years, amid broader misfortune for Team Penske.
Yet McLaughlin has leaned into fatherhood—his daughter Lucy even “recreated” the crash in a viral home video of her baby walker mishap—and his love for his adopted country. He has expressed no plans to leave the U.S. after racing.
Looking ahead, the crash serves as a reminder of motorsport’s unpredictability. McLaughlin’s ability to laugh at what once felt like the “worst moment of my life” shows resilience. The “stupidest” mistake didn’t define him permanently; instead, it became a story he owns with humility and humor.
In a sport where legends are forged through both triumphs and trials, McLaughlin’s 2025 Indy 500 exit remains a poignant chapter—one that nearly crowned him champion, but instead taught him, and fans, about grace under the most unexpected pressure.
