As long as all goes smoothly, the logistics of Kyle Larson’s highly touted Memorial Day Double — starting and finishing the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and Coca-Cola 600 on May 25 — aren’t that complicated.
But there’s another tricky element to Larson’s intricate schedule over the next week that’s flown under the radar: Is the former NASCAR Cup champion able to race for both the Indy 500 pole and the All-Star Race at North Carolina’s North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday evening?
With final-round qualifying starting an hour later this year — Fast 12 starts at 4:05 p.m. vs. 3:05 in 2024 and Fast Six at 6:25 vs. 5:25 last year — it appears inevitable Larson will have to forgo leading The Greatest Spectacle in Racing to green, should he have that chance.
“For me, and definitely for Rick (Hendrick) and Hendrick Motorsports, I think no mater through this whole experience this year, Cup should be the priority,” Larson said Tuesday. “So, yeah, I mean, I just assume, you know, we’re going to run the All-Star Race no matter what. So hopefully, you know, we run into that predicament because that means our car is fast. And, two, I mean, yes it would be extremely nice to go for the pole at the Indianapolis 500, but at the same time, it’s hard to turn down an opportunity race for a million dollars.”
If this year’s Indy 500 qualifying schedule followed 2024’s itinerary, Larson likely wouldn’t have to face that predicament. But his strict minute-by-minute schedule calls for Larson to depart IMS via helicopter by 5:40 p.m. The Fast 12 is scheduled to end at 5:05, but the Fast Six? That starts at 6:25.
Even if Larson were to qualify first among Fast Six drivers, he wouldn’t arrive to North Wilkesboro until around 8 p.m. race time. Still, “like I said,” Larson added, “I hope we’re in that predicament.”
Of course, if weather somehow delays the start time of Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, then Larson might have an opportunity to stick around for the Fast Six, should he advance. But with only a 10 percent of rain throughout the day, the chances of that as (of Friday afternoon) are unlikely.
During NASCAR weekend the first weekend of May at Texas Motor Speedway, Larson issued a similar response to this week’s logsitical update, emphasizing that “it’s important to race” the All-Star Race
“And it’s a lot of money on the line,” Larson said of the $1 million winner’s share. “Sure it would be great to have an opportunity for the pole, but I’d rather race for $1 million and start sixth.”
This is the same mentality, prioritizing NASCAR above the Indy 500 this year, Larson’s abiding by throughout his Memorial Day Double undertaking. Should weather again foul up Larson’s Double attempt in Indianapolis, he won’t chance missing the Coke 600.
“Yeah, I mean, I think I owe it to my NASCAR team as well to get here in time to try and win one of the biggest races of the season, and a race that has the most implication to the season as well,” Larson said on Dale Earnhardt Jr.s podcast last month, the Dale Jr. Download. “So, yeah, I mean, obviously I want to be here, and I want to do well here, and I want to try and compete for a pole. But, you know, I think my team, they deserve me to be at Charlotte to try and compete for a win there.”
Making “sure I’m giving both series the respect they deserve” is important to Larson, too, who has said multiple times he couldn’t enjoy the Indy 500 experience last year because “I had a lot of weight on me and a lot of guilt of not being able to be in two places at one time.”
“I just was never in the right mindset,” Larson said in an interview with IndyCar writer Bruce Martin. “I didn’t enjoy anything about” race day of the 2024 Indy 500.
“This year, we’re a little more prepared, but it’s still a challenge,” Larson added last month on the Dale Jr. Download. “You know, NASCAR is my priority, but I’m passionate about this too. So, it’s about making sure I’m not shortchanging either one and giving my all to both.”