Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin experienced a wild crash on Saturday morning at Barber Motorsports Park. His NTT IndyCar Series entry went through a safety fence and into the trees.
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The incident occurred during a practice session. McLaughlin touched the grass with a wheel entering a corner and then his No. 3 spun around. It slid off the course and then bounced across the gravel where cars get stuck.
The No. 3 Chevrolet continued bouncing backward before it slammed into the top of the safety wall. The entry went partially through the catchfence and slammed into the surrounding trees. McLaughlin was able to walk away from the crash.
Scott McLaughlin walks away after this incident in Practice 2 🫣 pic.twitter.com/3wAiD6Qfrp
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) March 28, 2026
"I just dropped the right rear, unfortunately," McLaughlin said after undergoing evaluation at the care center. "It's a testament to the safety of the IndyCar and what Barbers has done here. Honestly, I think the crash looked a lot worse than it felt.
"I hope we can get this thing fixed and go out and ship it again in qualifying. I knew the impact was coming, so I tried to brace myself, and then I ended up halfway through the fence, so it was pretty exciting. I'm sad for my guys. I've got the best crew on pit land, and they'll fix it as fast as they can. It's a shame."
Barber Motorsports Park is not a new track for the former Supercars champion. McLaughlin has made five starts at the Alabama road course since making the move to IndyCar and Team Penske. He has finished sixth or better in four of these events.
McLaughlin won back-to-back races at the road course. He captured the event in 2023 after leading 24 laps. He then won again in 2024 after starting from the pole and leading 58 laps. He finished third in last season's event while eventual champion Alex Palou captured the win.
