Kyle Larson crashes out of Indy 500 but races against time to reach Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kyle Larson is to start in the front row at Coca-Cola 600, after arriving in Charlotte from Indianapolis with less than an hour to spare.
The Cornelius-based driver was once again hoping to race the double, jetting from the Indy 500 to Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. For the second year in a row, luck was not on his side.
Larson attempted the feat last year, finishing 18th in a rain-delayed Indy 500, but he was unable to get to Charlotte before the NASCAR race was called due to rain.
This year, Larson found himself out of the Indy 500 on his 92nd lap, after he spun out and wrecked the No. 17 Chevrolet.
He was brought to the care center for an evaluation, where he was interviewed on television.
“I got loose and kind of got all over the place,” Larson told Fox Sports. “I just hate that I got egger there on that restart.”
Within half an hour of the crash, Larson’s helicopter was spotted leaving Indianapolis Motor Speedway, according to NASCAR.com
A private jet, appearing to be owned by Hendrick Motor Sports, departed the airport in Indianapolis at 4:20 p.m. It is expected to arrive at Concord-Padgett Regional Airport around 5:20 p.m.
By 5:20 p.m., Larson arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway after a brief helicopter ride from the airport in Concord, according to the telecast.
“He’s good. He’s ready… He’s turned his frown upside down,” Cliff Daniels, the pit crew chief for Larson, told Amazon Prime ahead of the Coca-Cola 600. “He’s ready for tonight. He was obviously disappointed with how today went.”
On lap 43, Larson lost control of his car and spun out. He was able to regain control and reenter the track. He made an extended pit stop to have his vehicle inspected before the race restarted after lap 51.
Larson may not race the double, but the race is on for him to make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway ahead of the green flag.
Chase Briscoe won the pole Saturday for the Coca-Cola 600.
Briscoe knows winning the Coca-Cola 600 pole does not necessarily guarantee success, particularly in such a long race.
Larson won from the pole in 2021, but prior to that the last driver to accomplish that feat was Jeff Gordon in 1998.
Christopher Bell won last year’s rain-shortened 249-lap race, and is now out to prove that was no fluke.
“Certainly, I have gotten annoyed by people calling it an asterisk win, so I would love to win this race as the Coca-Cola 600 and run the full 600 miles,” Bell said. “We should be really competitive. The last couple of years this has been one of our best intermediate tracks, as far as the 20 group goes, so I really look forward to the challenge.”
Last year fans booed loudly after waiting through a long rain delay, only to have NASCAR announce early in the morning hours that the race could not be completed because of the inability to dry the track.
The Associated Press and WTHR contributed to this report
