Marcus Armstrong shares real reason for qualifying crash after passing concussion tests

Marcus Armstrong joined a long list of victims who have crashed in the build-up to the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. Following the crash, he was checked up by the medical center and passed the concussion tests, which allowed him to join the paddock once again, where Armstrong revealed the reason for his crash during practice.

The 24-year-old arrived at the Indy 500 race weekend after scoring a top-10 finish for Meyer Shank Racing a week earlier at the IMS road course layout. This marked his second top-10 finish of the season, which laid the foundation for his confidence ahead of the Indy 500 race weekend.

With multiple practice sessions being organized for drivers to settle in with the historic oval layout before the qualifying began, the drivers got out to practice some qualifying runs. However, Marcus Armstrong crashed his MSR IndyCar during his practice run, which saw a massive G-force spike, urging medical staff to take a preliminary check-up of the Kiwi for a concussion.

Armstrong was released by the medical facility after he passed the concussion test and got back to the paddock. The 24-year-old shared the details on how the grip was way lower than he anticipated at turn 1, leading to the car stepping out and him crashing, as he said (via X/@bobpockrass):

"It was an interesting one for sure. I was expecting clearly a lot more grip when I arrived to turn 1 than what there was. However, I feel like we didn't quite get everything right so, it is what it is."

"My first reaction was like 'Oh I hope I'm okay' because I thought that maybe it was a little worse than it was, and I was hoping that I wasn't badly injured. Some time passed and I was all good, and now we're going to drive again."

Armstrong aims to get back at the helm of his No. 66 IndyCar after being cleared by medical officials.

---

Marcus Armstrong puts forth his racing spirit despite suffering a massive crash a few hours earlier

Marcus Armstrong at the INDYCAR 109th Running of The Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

After the crash, the Kiwi was seen being taken to a medical facility on a stretcher. This raised concerns about his health in the IndyCar realm.

Moreover, when Armstrong was released, he quickly got back to the IMS, expressing his interest in getting back in his car to at least get a shakedown run so that he could get in a respectable run tomorrow, as he said (via X/@bobpockrass):

"No, I'm confident that we can make the fields. I want to at least get a shakedown today, in the case that we have to do all the stuff tomorrow, but I'm confident that will be ok."

Marcus Armstrong finished 16th at the Indy 500 last year, a result that he would like to do better upon in 2025.