Kiwi Scott McLaughlin was caught out on the bumpy Belle Isle street circuit in Detroit during practice in the NTT IndyCar Series.<\/p>\n
The three-time Supercars champion's No. 3 PPG Team Penske car slammed into the wall at Turn 5 in the first and only practice session for this weekend's Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader.<\/p>\n
The New Zealand driver was on the course for more than an hour and completed just five laps when he collided with the barrier head first.<\/p>\n
McLaughlin walked away unscathed but the crash cost him the opportunity to get more practice time under his belt as the car was towed back for repairs.<\/p>\n
McLaughlin, who is ninth in series points, will now have to qualify for the first race with only a handful of laps under his belt on the tricky Belle Isle circuit.<\/p>\n
"Yes, that's (expletive) up," said McLaughlin.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/IndyCaronNBC\/status\/1403468632768778249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw<\/a><\/p>\n "I got a couple of laps in and it was feeling pretty good. I just overstepped the mark and lost the rear (of the car) on the way in.<\/p>\n "Got to Turn 5 there and just lost the rear on entry," he added. "Pretty silly mistake on my part. Completely my fault. I overstepped the limits on a track that's very hot and concrete as well. Yeah, unfortunately, it is what it is.<\/p>\n "It's a rookie mistake, stupid mistake, and I feel sorry for the crew. It's a practice that we really need. I'm gonna have to own that and move on."<\/p>\n McLaughlin, who turned 28 on Thursday, will tackle two races in two days as he looks to continue his promising IndyCar start for the powerful Team Penske outfit.<\/p>\n The Kiwi is coming off a 20th-place finish at the Indianapolis 500 on May 30, which earned him the Rookie of the Race Award.<\/p>\n McLaughlin would have placed in the top ten had he not been hit with a penalty for speeding in pit lane.<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0clicking here!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"