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Colton Herta medically cleared for Indy 500 after airborne crash in practice

Colton Herta was unharmed after a scary crash during the final Friday practice for the Indianapolis 500, but his vehicle was not so lucky.

The driver was medically cleared following the wreck that saw his No. 26 car go airborne and upside down after crashing hard into the wall, according to The Indianapolis Star. Herta could be heard saying "we're all good" before the heavily damaged and upside-down car came to a stop on the track, then, "Sorry about that."

Here's how the whole thing played out:

Herta, who was coming off a win at the GMR Grand Prix two weeks ago, qualified for the inside spot of Row 9 on the starting grid, but Andretti Autosport will now have to prepare a backup car with parts from the wrecked vehicle, according to NBC Sports. Herta will still reportedly be allowed to maintain his qualifying position.

The driver was well enough to speak with reporters after practice, via NBC:

“Yeah, a little bit of sadness for that race car,” Herta told NBC Sports’ Dave Burns. “It sucks. It seemed like it was OK. We were really loose that whole session. I think I was just going a little bit too fast for that corner. Wiggled and the air got underneath it. But yeah, I’m all good. I’m fine.

“Thankful for a lot of things. I guess the aeroscreen is part of that. But more so the AMR safety crew and the durability of the sidepods and all the side structure of the cars because that was a big hit from the side. And yeah for the safety crews, they were very fast to flip me back over.”

The Indy 500 remains scheduled for Sunday at 12:45 p.m. ET at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Herta currently sits sixth in the IndyCar standings.

Colton Herta crashes in the first turn during the final practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirk DeBrunner)
Colton Herta crashes in the first turn during the final practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Kirk DeBrunner)