"Lot worse than normal": Colton Herta confused by unusual IndyCar trouble after Mid-Ohio practice crash

Colton Herta had a bizarre spin during the first practice session for the Mid-Ohio race weekend, which ended up damaging the rear end of the No. 26 car. Reflecting on his crash, the 25-year-old shared how he was mystified by the crash, as the car seemingly spun on its own.

Herta is among eight other drivers on the IndyCar grid to have won a race around the 2.258-mile track. The California-born driver won his sole race at Mid-Ohio in 2020 and is regarded as one of the favorites to take the victory come Sunday.

However, the Andretti driver has had a torrid start to his 2025 campaign. He has only secured a single podium in the nine races held so far and has been stripped of golden opportunities throughout the year due to reliability issues and sheer bad luck.

With his ambition to get a strong result under his belt, Herta arrived at the 13-turn circuit and tried to dwell in with his car. However, he had two circuit excursions during the first practice session.

Though Herts was able to get away unscathed the first time, the same could not be said the second time. He went into the barriers with his rear wing suffering major damage. Opening up on the crash afterward, he said:

"When I lost it, yeah, it was just the rear right from turning. I don't know, it just seemed like overall maybe a little bit low grip and really unforgiving. If you kind of charged in too hard or you really over slipped one end of the car, it seemed like a lot worse than normal. So it is, I think, maybe a little bit more challenging than before. I'm not sure why. That's the way I feel."

Herta has secured a single race victory, two pole positions, and four top-10 results at Mid-Ohio over the years.

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Colton Herta deems the Mid-Ohio race weekend one of his favorites of the IndyCar season

Colton Herta at the 2025 first practice session for the NTT IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio - Source: Getty

While Colton Herta's weekend might not have gotten off to a great start, he finished the practice session in seventh place. Moreover, Kyle Kirkwood topped the Practice 1 timing sheets, showcasing Andretti's strong pace around the road course.

Ahead of the race weekend, the 25-year-old had shared how Mid-Ohio was one of his favorite Grand Prix of the season and hoped to have a respectable outing at the track, via Andretti:

"It’s a track where I’ve had success, and I’m hoping to build on that this weekend in the Gainbridge Honda. The fans always show up in a big way over the Fourth of July weekend, and the energy they bring makes Mid-Ohio one of my favorites of the season."

Colton Herta sits 10th in the interim standings as the 2025 championship kicks off its second half of the season.