Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson became the second driver to crash in practice for the Indianapolis 500 on Thursday as the Swede spun after dipping below the white line in Turn 4 and losing control of the No. 28 Honda.
It was a mirror of the crash from fellow Swede hours prior at the opposite end of the 2.5-mile oval at Turn 2, where Chip Ganassi Racing’s Linus Lundqvist — Ericsson’s replacement in the No. 8 Honda — placed his left-front tire below the white line and was tipped into a wall-banging spin.
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Lundqvist’s car damage was minor compared to Ericsson’s, who clobbered the SAFER barrier with the left side of his car, then slid nose-first into the inside wall and then slid into and hit the attenuator placed in front of the wall separating pit lane from the front straight. Ericsson came to a stop on pit lane, climbed from the battered car, was taken to the infield care center, and released to continue driving when his Andretti crew are able to assemble a ready car for Friday.
“I brushed the curb a little bit and that’s probably enough to send it and then you’re a passenger,” Ericsson said. “Very disappointed. Very sorry for my team; they’ve done a good job and they have a lot of work. That’s probably the worst thing.”