Kyle Larson Indy 500: What Indy Drivers Are Saying About NASCAR Star’s Landmark Attempt

One of the defining moments of Kyle Larson’s career will come up during the Memorial Day Weekend when he attempts the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. As the Hendrick Motorsports star prepares for the challenge relentlessly, those in the IndyCar Series can’t help but admire his will and talent.

A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci, who finished third in the 2023 Indy 500, was one among them. He said to NASCAR, “He’ll be good, man. I mean, he likes a loose race car. I think once he gets the understanding, he’ll pick it up quickly, man, he’s a racer. He’ll be fast. So it’ll be just about keeping him tame.”

Larson was second quickest on the IndyCar field during a test session at the Brickyard last month. Though he attributed it to drafting advantage, his soon-to-be contenders were utterly pleased with the display. For Graham Rahal, who has driven in 16 Indy 500s, there’s no doubt that Larson could win both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

He said, “It’s not like he’s in a slow car here, and 90 percent of the Indy 500 is having a fast car, maybe more. So I think he’s going to be in a great position. Obviously, we know the Hendrick cars are damn good too.” Rahal continued to express that being in the Hendrick and McLaren cars can help Larson race well.

The mentor-advantage that Kyle Larson has heading to his debut Indy 500

Four-time Indy 500 winner, Helio Castroneves, couldn’t help but note how Larson was being coached for his debut by the 2013 Indy 500 winner, Tony Kanaan. Kanaan is currently the sporting director at Arrow McLaren and has been traveling with Larson over the past year to prepare him for the race.

Castroneves said, “He has amazing experience and people in his corner. One of them is Tony, and that’s going to help tremendously to speed up that process. He’ll be good. He definitely understands the game, and it’ll be fun to battle with him.” With contenders wary of how good Larson is, he will have a task fulfilling expectations.

The driver was in Indianapolis on Tuesday morning for his practice session. Rain intervened and cut short practice to just 2 hours when it ought to have been 24 hours. In light of the same, Wednesday’s session was extended by two hours. There will be six-hour sessions on Thursday and Friday before qualifying on Saturday and Sunday.

Larson will pack all these tasks into his NASCAR All-Star race weekend at North Wilkesboro. He will probably be one of the busiest men on the planet these days leading up to the challenge on May 26.