Kyle Larson Bags $178,000 on One of His Worst Days as He Comes Short of NASCAR History

Kyle Larson just had a rough one this season. He didn’t win or even finish in the top five at the Indy 500, and then, thanks to a delay, he was late for Charlotte as well. By the time he got there, rain had already put a stop to the Coca-Cola 600 race too. So all his hard work toggling between Indy and NASCAR, plus all the adjustments NASCAR made to fit his double-duty dream, seemed like they were for nothing. Sounds pretty grim, right?

Well, it wasn’t all for nothing! Despite the setbacks, Larson didn’t walk away empty-handed. He pocketed a cool $178,000 for his troubles. So, calling his day totally rotten? Maybe that’s stretching it a bit.

Kyle Larson earns fame, honor, and money at the Indy 500 despite finishing in the top-20

No wonder if Kyle Larson participated and had won the Coca-Cola 600, he would have earned a big chunk of the $9,874,821 allocated to the Cup race. However, there’s no way he could have finished P18 in Charlotte and made $178k. It’s not all about the cash, though. Larson was named the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, pocketing a $50,000 bonus for his efforts.

Starting P5 and ending up P18 after a costly pit lane mistake might not sound perfect, but it’s pretty darn impressive for a newbie. Larson was gunning for a top-five finish and even hoped to be in the mix for the win. Instead, he had to do his best to secure a spot in the top 20.

Over the years, big names like Tony Stewart, Marco Andretti, and Kurt Busch have claimed Rookie of the Year honors in ’96, ’06, and ’14, respectively. The award, which started at a mere $500 back in the day, has ballooned over the years—reaching $50,000 by now, a sum anticipatedly only Kurt Busch from NASCAR managed to get back in his rookie run. Last year, Benjamin Pederson took home the title.

But the interesting fact is that the Indianapolis 500’s prize pot hit a new high for the third straight year, IndyCar announced, with Josef Newgarden of Team Penske bagging the fattest check in the race’s storied history—yet again. Last year, he pocketed a record $3.7 million from a total purse of $17,021,500. This year, he topped that, pulling in a cool $4.3 million from an even heftier $18,465,000 pot. Part of Newgarden’s windfall included a $440,000 bonus from BorgWarner for scoring wins two years running.

The bonus grows by $20,000 annually but has only been won once before when Helio Castroneves clinched the Indy 500 in 2001 and 2002. These purse awards get their moment in the spotlight at the annual Victory Celebration, which took place this year at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis on Monday night.

While Kyle Larson might not have hit jackpot levels of cash, he wasn’t exactly hurting in the wallet department. But cash aside, winning at either event would have really been the cherry on top. Larson himself admitted he felt he botched a golden chance to shine at the Indy 500.

#5 NASCAR driver has openly admitted he messed up his shot at Indy 500 glory

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Starting from a solid five, Larson was right up there with the leaders for the bulk of the race, until a misstep during a green-flag restart saw him lose over ten spots. Later on, with 70 laps left, disaster struck again when he sped into the pits, locking up his Arrow McLaren and drawing a penalty that required a drive-through, effectively ending any chance of a top finish. By the time he sorted himself out and got back on track, he was buried in P20 place, though he clawed back a few positions before the checkered flag.

Reflecting on the race, Larson told IndyCar on NBC, “In the end, I obviously smoked a left front or something into the green flag stop and killed our opportunity so, proud to finish but pretty upset myself, so just, If I could have executed a better race, you never know what could have happened.”

Despite the setback, Larson is keen on making a comeback at next year’s Indy 500. However, as of now, fans are biting their nails, concerned that his bold decision this year might not sit well with NASCAR, potentially affecting his eligibility for the playoffs since he missed the Charlotte race entirely.