Colton Herta involved in terrifying qualifying crash ahead of Indy 500

Colton Herta is looking to continuing making a name for himself during the 2025 Indianapolis 500. It happened, but in unfortunate fashion, as he’s in the news for a demoralizing reason during qualifying on Saturday.

The 25-year old was involved in a terrifying crash during this afternoon’s session. Check out the video below, as the Santa Clarita, California ended up on his roof after his vehicle went airborne. It’s a reminder of the dangers of IndyCar racing that fall by the wayside when we’re tuned in at times.

Scary moment here with Colton Herta. He would get of the car and walk away on his own 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mAVjTPZQWy

— INDYCAR on FOX (@IndyCarOnFOX) May 17, 2025

After the wreck, the broadcast noted that Herta had been cleared to drive after visiting the infield care center. He’ll require a new car of course, but the fact that he’s alright after such a scary moment is a testament to the safety of today’s cars.

“Luckily these crashes look a lot scarier than they feel,” Herta told the FOX broadcast, via Scott Horner and Nathan Brown of the Indianapolis Star. “Not to say that that one felt good, but you know, I think the team’s gonna be hard at work.” The publication also noted that Herta told the media he had no inkling during practice that his car would get that loose. Alas, it did.

Moreover, Herta has run nine races on the season so far, . He’s ranked P9 in points with 104. The California native has three top tens and one top five on the year.

In his career, Herta has elevated to become a premier talent during his time racing in IndyCar. He’s amassed nine wins over the course of his 104 starts. He also has 14 poles, 36 top fives, 59 top tens and 1148 laps led.

Back in 2019, Herta made a bit of history in the sport. He won the IndyCar Classic at Circuit of the Americas, becoming the youngest-ever winner in IndyCar history.

2024 was Herta’s best season, as he finished P2 in the point standings. As you can tell, he came into 2025 with a ton of hype, but it’s been a mixed bag this season so far. A solid performance during the Indianapolis 500 could change everything for him.

In six starts at the famed race, Colton Herta has two top tens, and his best finish is P8, coming in 2020. After a P23 run last season, he’s returned with a renewed focus. Now, we’ll see if he can recover from his qualifying wreck, or if it’s a sign of things to come for the young wheelman moving forward.