CONCORD, N.C. — With NASCAR and the Coca-Cola 600 the promised priority, Kyle Larson will again attempt the Indianapolis 500 next season with the caveat he must leave if rain again ruins his bid to complete “The Double.”
Larson in May became the fifth driver in history to attempt to complete 1,100 miles of racing on the biggest day in motorsports. But the start of the Indy 500 was delayed several hours by rain, and because Hendrick Motorsports had spent so much money on the effort, they decided to keep him at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It was unfinished business,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “Weather just cost us a lot.”
Larson was a star all of May, where he qualified fifth but a late-race speeding penalty took him out of contention and he finished 18th. He was still named top rookie of the race.
By the time Larson arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 600 had been stopped by rain and never resumed. He never turned a lap, received zero points for the event and it took a prolonged dispute between Hendrick officials and NASCAR before NASCAR granted Larson a waiver to participate in the playoffs despite missing a race.
In the end, missing the 600 did cost Larson as he fell a single point short of beating Tyler Reddick for NASCAR’s regular-season championship — a title worth 15 additional playoff points. Larson could use those points after an early crash Sunday in NASCAR’s playoff opener erased almost his entire lead in the Cup standings.
“We couldn’t control the weather, but it was never intended for us to have to pick and choose, but we did have to make that decision,” Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon told The Associated Press. “It was a group effort, and not necessarily the way NASCAR wanted it to be. But it was his first time doing it, our first time doing it, and I think Indy had to be the priority.
“A second time, it’s just not going to be the same case. NASCAR knows he’ll be at the 600. We don’t want to spot Reddick another entire race.”
Hendrick said that Tony Kanaan, sporting director for Arrow McLaren, would replace Larson in the car at Indy if Larson has to leave for Charlotte. By the reaction on Kanaan’s face, that was news to him.
“We’re going to run the 600, we will be here for the 600 if that means having to cut the race short in Indy, we will,” Hendrick said. “My commitment is to NASCAR, that’s where we’re in, that’s where we run the for the championship. And so if weather…
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