Marco Andretti reacts to "frustrating" early Indy 500 wreck: "Shoved into the wall"

Marco Andretti's Indianapolis 500 was over in the opening laps of the coveted race. After coming together with Jack Harvey and then being nudged by Marcus Armstrong, the Andretti Global driver crashed into the wall, first hitting the side and then the rear of his No. 98 Honda, ending his race before it had really even begun.

The Pennsylvania-born driver was able to get out of the car without assistance, but as the reality of the situation sank in, he was visibly frustrated as he threw his helmet down to the ground. He was assessed by the onsite medical team and was cleared shortly after.

While speaking to the media following his 20th start in the legendary race, he explained:

"Yeah, fine. Just bummed. I mean, I wait all year for this and to have it end that early is as frustrating as it gets. If I had a crystal ball I just would have waited, but it's not really in my nature to do that.

"So I had a really good start going and just got crowded at the top. I couldn't move up anymore. The wall was there and just got shoved into the wall.

"It would suck to go out like that, wouldn't it?"

It was a tough day in the Andretti garage as Marco's team-mate, Marcus Ericsson, was left heartbroken after narrowly missing the victory with a second-place finish. Commenting to the media after the race, the driver of the No. 28 Honda explained:

Marco Andretti, Andretti Global

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

“It’s going to keep me up at night how I played that last stint with those lapped cars. What could I have done different? What should I have done different?

“I gave it everything, and I tried my everything – I tried my best, of course. But I had that lead. If I had been second after that last (pit) stop and was (still) running second, then fine. But I had that lead! I had that race! And I lost it.”

He added: “I’m that close to being a three-time winner, and I have (only) one win. It’s a small margin. But it also shows I’m pretty good around this place. I’m proud of that, and it shows I show up here every year.”

His other team-mates, Kyle Kirkwood and Colton Herta, finished in sixth and 17th, respectively.