Larson restarted 23rd following a miscue on pit road on lap 130 of the originally scheduled 160-lap race, took the lead in the first overtime and clinched the Brickyard 400 victory when a caution was displayed on the final lap of the second overtime and Larson in the lead.
In his first interview after the race, Larson was already relishing his next racing venture on the 2.5-mile oval.
“I love you, Indiana fans. I know you guys love me, too.,” he said to a roar from the crowd. “How about we come back next May and try to kiss these bricks in an IndyCar?”
It certainly seems a return appearance in the Indianapolis 500 is in the works – and a victory is not out of the question.
Larson made his IndyCar Series debut in this year’s Indy 500 – part of his attempt at ‘The Double’ – running the 500 and Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup race on the same day during Memorial Day weekend.
Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren/Rick Hendrick Chevrolet, #98: Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta w/ Marco & Curb-Agajanian Honda, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global Honda
Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
Mother Nature had other plans, however.
Rain in Indianapolis delayed the start of the 500 for several hours, which forced Larson to miss the start of the 600. Once he arrived in Charlotte for that race, it had already been red flagged for rain and was never restarted.
As it turned out, missing the 600 didn’t hurt Larson’s NASCAR season – he leads the series standings and now has four wins – but the aborted ‘Double’ left an unfulfilled feeling.
Will Larson be back for the 2025 Indy 500?
Team owner Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon both offered a noncommittal “not yet” when asked if Larson was cleared for another ‘Double’ attempt, but the driver certainly is pushing for it.
“I mean, we definitely have been talking about it. I think weighing what’s important to everybody,” Larson said. “It sounds good, I’ll say, so far, but things could change. Yeah, we’ll see.
“I would obviously love to do it. I think everybody knows I would love to do it because in my mind I did not get to do it this year. I didn’t get to at least do the ‘Double.’
“I hope that the pieces can fall into place, and we can hopefully get things put together and announce something, get excited about doing the ‘Double’ next year.”
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: David Rosenblum / NKP / Motorsport Images
Larson showed plenty of speed in his first IndyCar stint, from practice, through qualifying and into the race itself. A couple of mistakes – going through the gears on a restart and a pit road speeding penalty – knocked him out of contention and he finished 18th.
Yet a victory in the Indy 500 is now the only one he’s lacking in the three high-profile races in which he’s competed at IMS.
“Getting to live through that race this year, like, it’s obviously a very tough race. Very similar race, but very tough,” Larson said of the 500. “Those Penske cars are stupid fast. It was going to be virtually impossible for anybody to beat Josef Newgarden).
“Hopefully next year with the hybrid stuff, there’s more opportunity for more teams to be faster. Hopefully someday I can get a chance to win the 500.
“I’ve won on the dirt track on the BC39, got to kiss the bricks there. Now in the 400. I guess there’s one more to check off, which is the Indy 500, which would be pretty special.”
