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IndyCar driver Colton Herta was able to walk away after suffering a massive crash in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 during the early hours of time trials on Saturday morning. Herta's car broke loose coming out of Turn 1 on his first lap, pounding the outside wall before going airborne and turning over upside down. Herta's car then slid through the short chute before hitting the wall again on the entry to Turn 2, this time with the top of the car and driver's compartment taking the brunt of the impact.

Herta's car then slid to a halt still upside down, but was able to emerge from the cockpit and walk to a waiting ambulance after the AMR safety team set his car back upright.

After coming out of the infield care center, Herta lamented that the difficult position that the crash put his Andretti Global team is, as they will have to unload and prepare their backup car and likely will be hard pressed to return to the track to make laps today.

"Luckily nowadays these crashes look a lot scarier than they feel. Not to say that that one felt good," Herta told Fox Sports. "The team's gonna be hard at work right now trying to get the backup car ready, and it's gonna be probably impossible to get out today. We'll have to see what we can do, but I mean, just a terrible day for this to happen.

"No real signs leading to it. We were super happy with the car this morning, and then we go out and (it was) just loose. Couldn't even get lap one done."

Herta's accident took place in the same part of the racetrack as a crash earlier Saturday that injured Marcus Armstrong. Armstrong had to be helped onto a stretcher after climbing from his car, though he would later be released from the infield care center. As of the early afternoon, Armstrong was not cleared to return to the driver's seat by IndyCar's medical team.

Herta is the second driver to go airborne at Indy in the last two days, as Kyffin Simpson flipped over on the exit of Turn 4 after a left side impact with the wall similar to Herta's on Friday. NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, attempting his second Indy 500, also crashed Friday in preparation for this weekend's run for the pole.

Colton Herta, an IndyCar veteran and the son of former driver and Indy 500-winning car owner Bryan Herta, has made six starts in the 500 with a best finish of eighth in 2020.