Indianapolis 500: Kurt Busch puts crash down to complacency
Kurt Busch has admitted that complacency played a role in his crash during practice for the Indianapolis 500 on Monday afternoon
Busch, who is aiming to become the fourth driver to race in both the Indy 500 and NASCAR's 600-miler at Charlotte on the same weekend, lost control of his Andretti Autosport car and crashed into the wall at Turn 2.
He climbed from the wreckage unassisted and was checked and cleared by IndyCar medical director Dr Michael Olinger, and said that the crash was the result of not paying sufficient attention to subtle changes in the behaviour of the car.
"I was starting to feel comfortable," he said. "That's when I made the mistake of just letting my guard down, or settling into that long run-type mentality whereas with an IndyCar you have to be on edge.
"You have to keep track of where you are at all times and the adjustments in the car. Maybe I just didn't keep up with keeping the car underneath me.
"This created a lot of work for the Andretti guys. I feel bad for that.
"As a rookie, there's things you learn and put it up on the edge and get away with, and then there's times when it will bite you.
"It's just tough. I thought I was finding a rhythm and settling into that long run-type pace and learning the tows and the draft, and I didn't keep track of the adjustments of the car."
Even if Busch is forced to switch to a back-up car as a result of the accident, he will still start from his qualifying position of 12th on the grid in accordance with the regulations.
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