Rasmussen first to find the wall in Indy 500 practice

Christian Rasmussen became the first driver at the 2025 edition of the Indianapolis 500 to require a ride back to the pits after he spun the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevy while navigating Turn 2, had a glancing blow with the wall, and punctured tires while sliding down the track.

The Dane was uninjured in the rotation that came on high-mileage tires as ambient temperatures crept close to 90F.

“I was a little surprised by getting loose there in the middle of 2 and walked the car up and brushed the wall with the right rear. Shoot. Now we’ll move on,” Rasmussen said.

ECR general manager Tim Broyles told RACER the damage was kept to a minimum, with a new rear wing element the only repair required to ready the car for Friday.

“They were definitely pretty deep,” Rasmussen said of his tire life. “I was pushing a little too hard for where the tires were at.”