INDIANAPOLIS – Fulfilling his dream of competing in the Indianapolis 500 turned out to be a bit of a nightmare for 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.
Weather spoiled part of Larson’s chance to complete the “Hendrick 1100” as the first driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day since Kurt Busch in 2014.
But the weather forecasts didn’t cooperate. When a thunderstorm and heavy rain hit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after 11 a.m. ET, the race start scheduled for 12:45 p.m. was delayed by four hours.
Larson’s first attempt at competing in the Indianapolis 500 had so much invested in it that it became the top priority of the day. NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick and vice chairman Jeff Gordon agreed because they had invested a lot of time, effort and resources into Larson’s effort at Indy.
When Larson decided to start the rain-delayed Indy 500, that meant he would not start the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Instead of starting the No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet for the 400-lap NASCAR marathon, it would be Justin Allgaier who would be in Larson’s stock car.
Instead of being overcome with the joy of racing in his first Indianapolis 500, Larson told NBCSports.com during the Indianapolis 500 victory celebration Monday night that he was overcome with guilt.
He felt like he was letting down his entire Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team, as well as his strong legion of fans.
“Everything was going perfectly until race day,” Larson told NBCSports.com. “That’s what depresses me.
“Race day was really bad. Honestly, yesterday sucked. I didn’t really like all of this.
“I hope we can do it again one day and really enjoy doing both races.”
There’s a reason why so few drivers have attempted to compete in two of the world’s biggest races on the same day. The Indianapolis 500 is known around the world and has over a century of history and tradition.
The Coca-Cola 600 is NASCAR’s longest race, one of its biggest events, and takes place at the center of the NASCAR universe in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“It’s tough and I think it would be easier to handle if it was just a normal race day, like normal events,” Larson said. “But when you have two big events and one that impacts your season, it’s hard to come back from that. But I am grateful for this opportunity. I’m grateful that I had the chance to do this.
“I just wish the weather would have cooperated.
“I was just praying for another hour of rain and everything would have been fine, but it didn’t end up that way.”
Kyle Larson talks to his son, Owen, before the 108th Indianapolis 500 — Bruce Martin Photo
Larson thinks an extra hour of rain in Indianapolis would have caused the Indy 500 to be rained out and it would have been moved to Monday. He would then have left to run the full distance of the Coca-Cola 600 and returned to Indianapolis to run the 500-mile race on Memorial Day.
But with 347,000 fans packed into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, every effort must be made to ensure the Indy 500 goes ahead as scheduled. Otherwise, many fans are likely to leave heartbroken at having missed their biggest day of the year (and which they spent so much money to attend).
In making the decision to finish the Indy 500 even with a four-hour delay before the race start, Larson couldn’t escape an overwhelming feeling of guilt.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been in the right frame of mind,” Larson admitted to NBCSports.com. “I feel like I have a lot of weight on me and a lot of guilt about not being able to be in two places at once.
“I was just never in the right frame of mind. I didn’t like anything yesterday.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown takes a ‘selfie’ with Kyle Larson, Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon — Bruce Martin Photo
Not even the pre-race ceremonies, the drama, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, all the main team executives present and all the photos with the VIPs in front of his car that were taken on the starting grid moments before the race. , could remove that dreaded feeling that reigned in Larson’s soul.
“I just felt like we were all in a lose-lose situation with the weather and all that,” Larson said. “So I really hope everyone there had a good time.
“Even though it’s the biggest race in the world, it’s difficult to fully enjoy it when you know you’re going to miss another one.
While Larson felt guilty, Gordon felt dizzy.
As he walked across the starting grid to Larson’s car before the Indy 500, he told NBCSports.com he had “goosebumps.”
“It’s so cool and so emotional, and I know it will be even more emotional once the pre-race ceremonies start,” Gordon said. “I had goosebumps watching the Indianapolis 500 on race day and I know there are more to come.”
Gordon explains why the Indy 500 is Larson’s priority
Jeff Gordon catches up with Marty Snider to discuss the logistics surrounding Kyle Larson’s double attempt and the team’s approach throughout the day with the weather-delayed Indy 500.
Larson had a near-perfect two weeks before the 108th Indianapolis 500. He qualified fifth after reaching Fast Six in qualifying and never really went wrong in practice or time trials at Indy.
He quickly adapted to the high speeds. He signed countless autographs and posed for numerous photos. He did more media interviews and personal appearances in two weeks than in most of a NASCAR Cup Series season.
Larson was a perfect ambassador to the Indianapolis 500, representing both NASCAR and the grassroots, dirt track and sprint car crowd.
That was enough for him to win the Rookie of the Year title at the 2024 Indianapolis 500 after finishing 17th.th. He led four laps and was in contention for a top-five finish, but was penalized for speeding on pit road during a pit stop on lap 131. This caused Larson to lose a lap, but he was able to fight his way back to the first round. and complete 200 laps of the Indianapolis 500.
“The experience of the last few weeks is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before,” Larson said while accepting the Indy 500 ROY award Monday evening. “The support from the fans has been incredible for me. From the start, I felt like a fan favorite.
“Having Rick Hendrick here was incredible. I just wish the whole plan had gone better.
Rick Hendrick and Kyle Larson before the Indianapolis 500 — Bruce Martin Photo
Larson admitted he checks his phone every two minutes for weather updates.
“It was stressful for me,” he said. “Everyone had to run one race and I was trying to do two.”
Weather checking continued for the rest of the day.
After finishing the Indianapolis 500 at 7:45 p.m., he jumped into a black SUV parked on pit road with other key Hendrick Motorsports executives. The SUV took him to a helicopter on the infield at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then to a private jet at the Indianapolis airport that took him to Concord Regional Airport, a few miles from the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Another helicopter flight to CMS and Larson had arrived at the NASCAR race at 9:13 p.m. ET.
Larson arrives for the Indy 500-Coke 600 double test
Kyle Larson arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway just hours after competing in the Indianapolis 500, attempting to achieve “The Double” at the Coca-Cola 600 before bad weather ended the race early.
He was ready to pick up his Chevrolet from Allgaier and finish what was left of the Coca-Cola 600.
But 10 minutes later, the race was red flagged due to rain.
“We saw that the time was coming. And I was just hoping it would happen before the halfway point so the race wouldn’t be official,” Larson said.
“We arrived just in time for the rain and thought they would stop it pretty quickly. And then when they did and they started to dry the track, I had hope again. My mood sort of shifted towards finally being happy. I was just getting ready to leave. I knew we had 150 laps left in the race and I knew I would have plenty of time to get to the front. I knew my race car was going to be fast, and then I look at the track, and it’s probably 80 percent dry and it didn’t seem like too long until it was ready to go.
“Then they shocked us all and called it official. It killed my good mood.
The disappointment was still visible on Larson’s face as he returned to Indianapolis on Monday to collect his winnings for the 500.
He credited Arrow McLaren sporting director and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan for helping him adjust to the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet so quickly and smoothly .
“Tony Kanaan has been a huge asset to me,” Larson said. “It made the experience and transition seamless. I hope to do it again one day.
Next year?
“I hope so,” Larson said. “Given the way yesterday went, it might take some convincing to let me do it again.
“Maybe Roger Penske can command a better time.”
Larson was unable to realize his dream of traveling the 1,100 miles in the “Hendrick 1100.” In fact, he only achieved 500 because he never got to run a lap competitively at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But he helped his father, Mike, realize his dream of seeing his son compete in the Indianapolis 500.
“Ever since this deal was announced, I knew how excited my dad would be,” Larson said. “He’s had a great time these last two weeks. He was able to meet his hero, Mario Andretti, on the grid yesterday.
“He was so happy; he cried a lot. Being able to see your child, who has worked so hard and put in so much time, effort and energy to reach this position at the pinnacle of North American motorsports and seeing your child compete in the Indianapolis 500.
“It meant more to me to run for him than for myself.
“I hope and pray I get another opportunity.”
Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500