Kyle Larson Real Contender for Indy 500 Despite Double Duty: Former Winner Marcus Ericsson

Taking on the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, two of the most demanding challenges in worldwide motorsports, in a single day is no menial task. And yet, that’s what Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is preparing to do during the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. Despite the low odds of success that he has, the 2022 Indy 500 winner Marcus Ericsson is willing to place bets on him.

Ericsson is a Formula 1 veteran who currently drives for Andretti Global in the IndyCar Series. Speaking in an interview with News Nation he said that Larson was as real as contenders got for the Indy 500 and would be a tough driver to beat. He continued to note Larson’s speed during the recent open tests and underlined his wariness of the NASCAR champion’s extraordinary skill.

“The thing with Kyle is he is one of the most talented drivers in the world,” he quipped. “I expect him to get used to it very quickly. We had a test here a couple of weeks ago and he was already second fastest. He will be right in the mix. I expect him to be hard to beat but it’s great for our sport, in general. He comes over and puts even more spotlight on the Indy 500.”

Ericsson is someone who has raced and won the Indy 500. When a driver of such caliber pegs someone for success, there has to be a lot of meaning behind it. However, he will also be one of the many seeking to end the hopes of Larson to win the prestigious race. How the Hendrick Motorsports star fares in the Coca-Cola 600 will depend much on how the Indy 500, the first part of his challenge, goes.

Kyle Larson is not yet ready to take on the Indy 500 despite blistering speed

In the open tests that were held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this month Larson posted a speed of 226.384 mph. He was second quickest on the track and slightly shy of the numbers posted by leader Josef Newgarden. Though he seemed to handle the IndyCar with native ease, Larson does believe that he is as of yet ready to run in the Indy 500.

Speaking with Fox Sports, he mentioned, “I don’t think that I could take the green flag tomorrow and feel like I’m ready after running 40ish laps the other day — so, no, I still feel like there’s a ton left to learn. Although I learned some [at the test], I don’t know how it’s going to represent itself to racing conditions.” With time running out quick, he will be racing the hour as hard as he will be racing drivers. He will, hopefully, be ready to carry the flags of NASCAR on his shoulder when judgment day arrives.