Kyle Larson was out of luck at the Indianapolis 500, crashing out near the midway point of the race. The NASCAR superstar’s second attempt at finishing both “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte in the same day was cut short. The race had a delay of about 35 minutes due to a rain shower that passed over the speedway, adding to the challenges faced by Larson. He found himself stuck in traffic for the first half of the race, which ultimately led to his downfall.
Not really sure why this matters, but Larson’s car wiggled on a downshift as he was going through Turns 1 and 2, causing him to spin out and hit the outside wall, ending his race after completing 91 laps. After the crash, Larson mentioned, “Just a bit crazy there on the restart. I got like, tight behind Takuma Sato. I was really close in. I got loose and kind of got all over the place, and yeah, so it spun. Just hate that I got a little too eager on the restarter. Hate it for everybody else.” The crash also involved Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb, who were caught up in the chaos. On the bright side, Larson now had plenty of time to head to North Carolina for the Cup Series race later that night, where he would start on the outside of the front row.
The early exit from the Indianapolis 500 gave Larson the opportunity to focus on the next challenge. Despite stalling the car on pit lane and losing track positions, Larson’s main goal was to make it to the NASCAR race in Charlotte. Last season, Larson faced similar challenges with rain wreaking havoc on his plans. The Indy 500 was delayed by four hours due to heavy rains, causing Larson to be late for the race in Charlotte. The NASCAR race was eventually called complete before Larson even had the chance to take a lap in his car. The double challenge of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 has been attempted by several drivers in the past, with only a few managing to complete both races successfully. Larson remained optimistic, looking forward to the next race in Charlotte and hoping to put the disappointment of Indianapolis behind him.
