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Scott McLaughlin Had Two Really Sad Comments After Crashing on Pace Lap of Indy 500

The New Zealand native reflected on a day cut short.

Patrick Andres

Scott McLaughlin's car sits wrecked after a pace-lap crash at the Indy 500 Sunday.
Scott McLaughlin's car sits wrecked after a pace-lap crash at the Indy 500 Sunday. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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.

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.

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.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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