INDIANAPOLIS – Making the dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500 a reality turned out to be a nightmare for 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson.
The weather ruined any 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 forecast didn’t cooperate. When a thunderstorm and heavy rain hit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after 11 a.m. ET, the start of the race scheduled for 12:45 p.m. was delayed four hours.
So much had gone into Larson’s first attempt at competing in the Indianapolis 500 that it became the top priority of the day. NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick and vice president Jeff Gordon agreed because they had invested a lot of time, effort and resources into Larson’s Indy effort.
When Larson decided he would start the rain-delayed Indy 500, that meant he wouldn’t 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 was Justin Allgaier who would be in Larson’s stock car.
Instead of being overwhelmed with the joy of racing in his first Indianapolis 500, Larson told NBCSports.com at the Indianapolis 500 Victory Celebration on Monday night that he was overwhelmed with guilt.
He felt like he was letting down his entire Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team, as well as his large legion of fans.
“Everything was going perfect until race day,” Larson told NBCSports.com. “That’s what depresses me.
“Race day sucked. Honestly, yesterday sucked. I didn’t really enjoy any of it.
“Hopefully we can do it again one day and really enjoy both races.”
There’s a reason 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 more than 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 deal with if it was 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 get over it. But I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do it.
“I just wish the weather had cooperated.
“I was praying that it would rain for another hour and everything would have been fine, but it didn’t end that way.”
Larson believes one more hour of rain in Indianapolis would have canceled the Indy 500 and moved it to Monday. He would then leave to compete the full distance in the Coca-Cola 600 and return 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 run the Indy 500 on the scheduled date. Otherwise, many of the fans would have to leave heartbroken at missing out on the biggest day of the year (and one they’ve spent so much money to be a part of).
Making the decision to complete the Indy 500 even with a four-hour delay to the start of the race, Larson couldn’t escape the overwhelming feeling of guilt.
“I don’t know if I ever had the right mindset,” Larson admitted to NBCSports.com. “I feel like I had a lot of weight on me and a lot of guilt for not being able to be in two places at the same time.
“I just never had the right mindset. “I didn’t enjoy anything about yesterday.”
Not even the pre-race ceremonies, the drama, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, all the top team executives who were there, and all the photos with the VIPs in their car that were taken on the starting grid in the moments before the race. the race. , was able to eliminate that dreaded feeling that was inside Larson’s soul.
“I felt like we were all in a lose-lose situation with the weather and everything,” Larson said. “So I really hope that everyone there had a good time.
“Although it is the most important race in the world, it is difficult to fully enjoy it when you know you are going to miss another one.
While Larson felt guilty, Gordon felt dizzy.
As he walked across the starting grid toward Larson’s car before the Indy 500, he told NBCSports.com he had “goosebumps.”
“This is so cool and so emotional, and I know it will be even more emotional once the pre-race ceremonies begin,” Gordon said. “I got goosebumps being at the Indianapolis 500 on race day and I know there is more to come.”
Larson had two near-perfect weeks before the 108th Indianapolis 500. He qualified fifth after making Fast Six in qualifying and never misturned a wheel in practice or time trials at Indy.
It quickly adapted to high speeds. He signed countless autographs and posed for numerous photographs. He did more media interviews and personal appearances in two weeks than during most of a NASCAR Cup Series season.
Larson was a perfect ambassador at the Indianapolis 500, representing both NASCAR and the grassroots, dirt track and sprint car crowd.
That was enough for him to win the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award after finishing 17th.th. He led four laps and was a contender for a top-five finish, but was penalized for speeding on pit road during a pit stop on lap 131. That caused Larson to lose a lap, but he was able to fight his way back in. the leading lap. and finish the 200 laps of the Indianapolis 500.
“The experience of these last few weeks has been like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” Larson said while accepting the Indy 500 ROY award Monday night. “The support from the fans was incredible for me. I felt like a fan favorite from the beginning.
“Having Rick Hendrick here was incredible. He just wishes the whole plan had worked out better.”
Larson admitted that he checked his phone every two minutes for weather updates.
“That was stressful for me,” he said. “Everyone could run one race and I tried to run two.”
Time checking continued for the rest of the day.
After finishing the Indianapolis 500 at 7:45 p.m., he climbed into a black van parked on pit road along with other key Hendrick Motorsports executives. The van took him to a helicopter on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway field, 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 ride to CMS and Larson arrived at the NASCAR race at 9:13 pm ET.
He was ready to get his Chevrolet back from Allgaier and finish what was left of the Coca-Cola 600.
But 10 minutes later, the race was red flagged for rain.
“We could see that the time was approaching. And I just hoped he got there before the halfway point so the race wouldn’t be official,” Larson said.
“We got there just in time for the rain and thought they would cancel it pretty quickly. And then when they did it and started drying the track, I had high hopes again. My mood changed and I finally felt happy. I was 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 looked at the track and it was probably 80 percent dry and it didn’t look like it would be long until it would be ready to go.
“Then they surprised us all and declared it official. He killed the good mood he had.”
There was still disappointment on Larson’s face when he returned to Indianapolis on Monday to collect his 500 winnings.
He credited Arrow McLaren sporting director and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan for helping him adapt to the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet so quickly and smoothly.
“Tony Kanaan was a huge asset to me,” Larson said. “He made the experience and transition seamless. I hope to do it again one day.”
Next year?
“I hope so,” Larson said. “The way it was yesterday, it may take some convincing to let me do it again.
“Maybe Roger Penske can get better weather.”
Larson failed to fulfill his dream of completing the 1,100 miles on the “Hendrick 1100.” In fact, he only completed 500 because he was never able to run a lap in competition at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But he did help his father, Mike, make his dream of seeing his son run in the Indianapolis 500 come true.
“Ever since this deal was announced, I knew how excited my father would be,” Larson said. “He had a great time these last two weeks. Yesterday he met his hero, Mario Andretti, on the grill.
“Was so happy; she was crying a lot. Being able to see his son, who worked so hard and dedicated so much time, effort and energy to reach this position at the top of North American motorsports and see his son in the Indianapolis 500.”
“For me it meant more to run for him than for me.
“I hope and pray I get another chance.”
Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500