Ed Carpenter’s day at the Indianapolis 500 came to an early end, and he certainly wasn’t happy about it.
The ECR team owner and driver of the No. 33 car lost control of his car on a turn on Lap 27, spinning out and hitting the wall. Carpenter’s spin out came as he tried to make a move on the inside of the track, but it appeared that two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato blocked him and caused the SlimFast car to spin.
As the yellow flag came out, Carpenter was able to emerge from his vehicle safely. However, Carpenter appeared to say, “F— you” to Sato as he drove by him during the caution. Carpenter later called Sato’s move “disappointing,” adding “I would expect way more out of him.”
Carpenter was medically cleared and out of the medical center shortly after the crash.
Carpenter was in 20th at the time of the crash, trailing Rinus VeeKay by roughly three seconds for the lead at the time of the crash. He started Sunday’s race in the 13th spot.
The 45-year-old Carpenter was seeking his first career victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. This was the 23rd time Carpenter has raced the Indy 500, finishing in second place in 2018. He finished sixth the following year and came in fifth in 2021.
Since then, though, Carpenter has had a tough time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He came in 15th in the 2025 running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, which remains his best finish in the Indy 500 over the last five years.
Sunday was also the only race Carpenter has driven in this INDYCAR season. The Indy 500 was Carpenter’s only race last season as well. He’s scaled back his racing schedule over the last few seasons.
As for Sato, he won the Indy 500 in 2017 and 2020. He’s also finished in the top 10 in two of the last three races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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