NASCAR’s Kurt Busch OK after hard crash in Indy 500 practice

Kurt Busch crashed hard during practice Monday for the Indianapolis 500 but walked away from the accident unhurt.

Busch is the NASCAR driver attempting “the double” this year by racing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 stock-car race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina on the same day this Sunday.

Busch, who will start 12th in the Indy 500, was running in traffic during practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when his car suddenly twitched and slammed into the wall on its right side in Turn 2.

The cars this year are reaching speeds above 230 mph on the legendary 2.5-mile Indianapolis track. Busch qualified at an average speed of 230.782 mph.

Busch is trying to become only the fourth driver to complete the double, joining Tony Stewart, John Andretti and Robby Gordon.

“I was starting to feel comfortable,” IndyCar’s website quoted Busch as saying after the wreck. “That’s when I made the mistake of just letting my guard down.

“If you’re going to have [an accident] it’s better to have it early in the week so there’s time to work on the car, get back on your horse and get out there again,” he said.