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IndyCar rookie Robert Shwartzman’s Indianapolis 500 came to an unfortunate end on Sunday.
Shwartzman started the race on the pole as he completed the quickest time around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in qualifying, but all the jubilation turned to pain as a debacle on pit road nearly seriously injured a handful of his crew members.
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IndyCar Series driver Robert Shwartzman, #83, crashes into the pit crew during the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 25, 2025. (Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images)
He came into his pit stall after completing about 87 laps, and his car skidded as he got into the box. Four of his crew members tried to avoid the sliding car but failed. One crew member was taken away on a stretcher.
“I honestly felt really strange brakes when I was coming slow in pit lane. I locked up both front tires, which usually isn’t the case,” Shwartzman said. “I wasn’t sure if it was the brakes or because the tires were cold. I tried to be very slow. But as soon as I touched my brakes, my whole front was lost, and I went right into the guys.
“It was really scary because at the moment I braked I was just a passenger.”
An injured crew member speaks with other crew members after PREMA Racing driver Robert Shwartzman, #83, hit the wall during his pit stop on Sunday, May 25, 2025 during the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Kristin Enzor / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
INDYCAR DRIVER SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN TALKS INDY 500 DISASTER
The crash was enough to end his day.
The Prema Racing driver was the first rookie to take the pole position since 1983.
“It’s just really sad because we did such good work in qualifying,” he said. “But it’s the Indy 500. Anything can happen. A lot of strong drivers are out of the race or behind. This is the Indy 500. This happens.”
Robert Shwartzman is introduced before the start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
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Alex Palou took home the checkered flag. It was his first win in the Indy 500 and the fifth in the first six races of the 2025 season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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