For months, Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Larson insisted that NASCAR was the focus in his “Double” endeavor. That was correct until it wasn’t.
When a driver attempts to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, he faces numerous challenges. From a logistical sense, that was made very evident on Sunday when rain delayed the start of the Indianapolis 500 by four hours.
It was decision time for Hendrick and Larson. The decision was made to remain in Indianapolis.
#Indy500 … IMS President Doug Boles says he has been told that Kyle Larson will be staying to run at Indy.
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) May 26, 2024
For months, Hendrick Motorsports and Kyle Larson insisted that NASCAR was the focus in his “Double” endeavor. That was correct until it wasn’t.
When a driver attempts to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, he faces numerous challenges. From a logistical sense, that was made very evident on Sunday when rain delayed the start of the Indianapolis 500 by four hours.
It was decision time for Hendrick and Larson. The decision was made to remain in Indianapolis.
While not everyone feels that it was the proper decision, Kyle had the last say. He was the one who ultimately wanted to attempt this remarkable achievement. He’s the one that sat down, researched, practiced, and sought advice. If anyone had a say in the decision, it was Larson.
The reality is that Larson had an extremely unusual opportunity. Not only to race in the Indy 500, but also to compete with one of the top teams. All of his efforts and planning led him to that point on Sunday morning. No one would have blamed him for leaving, and when the opportunity to bail was presented, he chose to stay.
Larson drove to Charlotte directly after the Indy 500, aiming to jump into his No. 5 Cup vehicle for the second part of the race. Unfortunately, Mother Nature followed him.
Just as Larson arrived at his pit stand to strap on his helmet, rain began to fall on Charlotte Motor Speedway. If the race had resumed, Kyle would have been able to take over from Justin Allgaier. Officials would eventually call off the race, which was more than halfway completed.
Larson’s alleged ideal Sunday turned out to be a nightmare.
Kyle Larson CAUGHT SPEEDING entering pit road.
A costly mistake for the #Indy500 rookie.
📺 : NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/MOX7rlYbHV
— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 26, 2024
“I would definitely love to be back next year,” Larson told NBC after the race. “I feel like I learned a lot during the race.” I made a few of mistakes early on with the restart. I’m not sure what I did wrong there. I managed to get into third gear and felt like I did a great job on the restarts, learning a lot.
“I definitely feel better knowing what I’d need to change to improve my balance for runs and other activities. Obviously, I smoked the left front on the green-flag stop, squandering our opportunity. I’m proud to have finished, but I’m really disappointed with myself. Just could have run a better race. “You have no idea what could have happened.”
Kyle Larson Needs a NASCAR Playoff Waiver.
Larson led the Cup series points standings entering the Coca-Cola 600. To qualify for the playoffs, a driver must “start” every race during the regular season, according to NASCAR rules. Larson will need to be granted a waiver by the series to advance to the playoffs.
Hendrick was unable to request a waiver until Larson missed the event. NASCAR may need some time to reach a decision (due to the Memorial Day weekend), but they have historically been lenient. Kyle Busch (2015) and Chase Elliott (2023) were both given waivers but missed races owing to injuries.
This is a different circumstance, but given the hype and attention that Larson’s attempt has generated, it would be remarkable if NASCAR denied the team’s request.
Rick Hendrick is the most successful and long-tenured NASCAR owner. They’ve been working on this idea for almost two years. The outcome could have been different if Justin Haley and Rick Ware Racing had made a last-minute plan. Hendrick and Larson have done enough for NASCAR to take the appropriate action.
