A couple of weeks ago, Kyle Larson nearly created history in American motorsports. After successfully completing the Indy 500, he rushed to compete in whatever was left of the Coca-Cola 600. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance because the race was called off due to weather conditions.

Frankly, there was a lot riding on this double for Larson, and even Hendrick Motorsports. For HMS in particular, there was even a financial impact, because reports suggest that they shelled out a fair bit of money. As it turns out, they spent a grand total of $3 million on the ambitious project. Sadly, owing to uncooperative weather, Larson officially missed the Coca-Cola 600. In his podcast, insider Parker Kligerman sat down with Landon Cassill to discuss the saga.

Did it really cost that much to field Kyle Larson in both races?

Honestly, running in both IndyCar and NASCAR, was far from a piece of cake. In a perfect world, Kyle Larson could have run all 1100 miles, but no one could have factored in Mother Nature. Additionally, the entry fee was fairly steep, even if they were allying with McLaren Racing to enter the Indy 500, and HMS paid nearly double. Kligerman said on his podcast, “Hendrick spent $3 million on this effort for Kyle Larson to attempt the double. It’s about $1.5 million to $2 million per top deal in the Indy 500.”

All that encompassed sponsorship, test sessions, and team members, including guests and employees. There were also additional costs like Larson jetting from Indianapolis to Charlotte. Cassill chipped in, “Let’s say a million and a half worth of incidentals. On top of the cost of putting Kyle Larson in the car. Seemed maybe light, to me. They had a couple of jets flying back and forth with all the Hendrick executives on it. Gulfstream ain’t cheap.”

Should NASCAR compensate both parties for the double attempt?

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In the aftermath of the saga, NASCAR dilly-dallied when it came to granting a waiver. Normally, waivers are for drivers who are injured in a NASCAR event or have been suspended for a race or two. Running in the Indy 500 falls well outside the wheelhouse, but the fact of the matter was that Larson was more than willing to put in the effort.

Cassill joked, “They have a big family dinner at St. Elmo’s, cause that’s probably too grand. At the end of the day, I just hope that these teams can finally get their fair share from NASCAR.”

NASCAR even had the gall to promote Larson’s double attempt and market it to death. All the while, they were debating whether to let him be eligible for the 2024 Cup Series championship. Finally, at long last, Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports won the battle of wills and were granted that precious waiver. Now the big question is, would NASCAR play ball if he wanted a second bite of the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double cherry?