The world of motorsports braced for Kyle Larson to attempt the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 this weekend, but rain played spoilsport. There was a lot of hype surrounding the 2021 Cup Series Champion’s ambitious venture but at the end of it all, he and his fans were left utterly disappointed. He was not even able to make it in time for the Cup Series fixture and didn’t run a single lap.
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Heavy rain is perhaps the biggest enemy of motorsports and the rain gods took no prisoners on Sunday. First, the system came over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which resulted in a whopping four-hour delay for the IndyCar event to start. Larson finished P18 and had to rush to Charlotte right after. Unfortunately, the rain followed him there as well and NASCAR called off the Coke 600 before the Hendrick Motorsports star even got inside his car.
“I’m very, very thankful for the experience obviously — everything about the two weeks [at Indy] and all that was great until today. It’s just sad. Everything that could have gone wrong today, went wrong. Hopefully, I get to do it again in the future and hopefully the weather is better,” he said, the disappointment clear on his face.
Kyle Larson couldn't believe that the storm that ruined his day in Indy also ruined his night at Charlotte. A frustrated Larson as he walks to a golf kart to leave Charlotte Motor Speedway. pic.twitter.com/7rHBI4aW7b
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 27, 2024
Despite it being his first run in IndyCar, Kyle Larson was quite disappointed with where he finished. After all, he did sacrifice running in the Coke 600 for this opportunity.
Kyle Larson rues brake lock-up in Indy 500
There was a point in the race where the Arrow McLaren driver was running P3 but it did not take long for his inexperience in open-wheel racing to show. Larson locked his brakes and sped on pit road, causing him to lose track position and miss out on what would have been a memorable finish.
“I felt like I did a really good job on the restarts and learned a lot. Definitely feel good about knowing what I would need different for the balance when I come back to help runs and stuff. Then obviously I smoked the left front or something on a green flag stop and killed our opportunity. Proud to finish but pretty upset at myself,” he said as per FOX.
Despite all of his struggles, one hopes that Larson will attempt to do the Double again. The 31-year-old still has several years left in the tank and plenty of time to prepare for when he does the Indy 500 and Coke 600 next.
