In a shocking turn of events at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASCAR champion Kyle Larson found himself in a crash during Thursday's practice session for the Indianapolis 500. It was the second day of open testing on the legendary 2.5-mile oval, and things took a wild twist for the driver.

Larson, who won the 2021 NASCAR championship and is the defending Brickyard 400 champion, lost control of his No. 17 Chevrolet as he exited Turn 1, slamming into the wall before bouncing down to the warmup lane. The mishap didn't end there, as he grazed the wall a second time before finally coming to a stop.

Taking responsibility, Larson admitted, "I forgot to hit the weight jacker going into the turn." However, he tried to spin the incident positively, saying, "I'm happy to crash my first Indy car and live through it." After the crash, he was checked at the infield hospital and later released.

Attempting to tackle "the double" challenge, Larson aims to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. His last attempt fell short due to a rain delay that left him arriving at the NASCAR event just as it was called off for weather. This time, he's piloting an Arrow McLaren car featuring a new hybrid system which makes its Indy debut.

Despite this setback, Larson managed to run an 11th-fastest lap on Wednesday at 223.430 mph, though he admitted the car's handling felt different. "It feels a little different kind of handling-wise this year. I don’t know if it’s the hybrid stuff and the weight of that or what,” he said while emphasizing the need for adjustment.

When discussing his future at the Indy 500, Larson hinted at possibly not returning beyond the two-year plan he initially set. "We’ve kind of known all along that I had two opportunities to compete in the 500, which is plenty. So we’ll just enjoy it and try to make the most of it." He expressed a desire to achieve something remarkable by holding both the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 titles, but acknowledged, "I’ve got to get way better."

Larson wasn’t the only driver to hit trouble on Thursday; two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato crashed shortly after Larson, losing control in the same turn. "Lost it," Sato said simply after being checked at the infield hospital and released.

The day had its tense moments, including a dramatic near-collision when Rinus VeeKay ran out of fuel in traffic, prompting a frantic scramble among the drivers to avoid disaster.

With the excitement and risks of Indy looming, qualifying is set for May 17-18, leaving fans eagerly anticipating what’s next.