About two weeks from now, Kyle Larson will become the first NASCAR driver since Kurt Busch in 2014 to attempt the Charlotte-Indy 500 double-duty. While there has been a lot of talk and hype about the event, Larson admits that most of it is just the media talking and he is taking it all one week at a time. In an interview with Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass, the 2021 Cup champion revealed how the Indy 500 has always been a lifelong dream, the seeds of which were sown when he was just a child.
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Just days after winning Kansas, the closest finish in Cup Series history, the HMS driver expressed how growing up as a versatile driver and never shying away from a new challenge propelled him to take up the Indy 500 challenge, the biggest race in the world.
“I remember being young watching on TV and just always seeing how massive the crowd was. There’s not a certain Indy 500 that I remember when I was young, like, “Oh, this driver won, and that’s when I fell in love with this.”
“Just my dad’s love for the event, probably understanding from an early age, how much this race meant to him — even though we followed NASCAR, and IndyCar all that sort of stuff and sprint-car racing, I could tell that this was the biggest race in the world,” said Larson, who is currently leading the regular season standings with two wins and six top-5s in the first 12 races this season.
Kyle Larson on why the Indianapolis 500 has always been a dream of his and how many times he hopes to do it. pic.twitter.com/mgnGk340Er
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 9, 2024
Despite being his debut, many predict the #5 HMS driver to have a strong run at the iconic race, including former winner Marcus Ericsson, who described Larson as “one of the most talented drivers in the world.”
Larson started the month of May in the best way possible, following up his second-place finish at Dover with a win at Kansas. Ahead of Dover, Yung Money revealed that just because everyone is excited about the Indy attempt doesn’t mean that he will compromise his Cup season, and will take his full focus off NASCAR only when the Memorial weekend is near.
It will be incredible to see how the most versatile driver in American motorsports since Tony Stewart can follow his ideal and successfully complete the Double, and even perhaps pull off the improbable – win both the races.
