Kyle Larson Fails to Etch His Name in History After Mother Nature Protects Tony Stewart’s Legacy in NASCAR

Last week, NASCAR faced some heat from fans over how they’ve been treating Kyle Larson, a top performer at HMS. The race at Darlington was held up for 16 minutes to ensure Larson could make it in time to race. He ended up finishing P34, capping off what was surely a whirlwind weekend for him.

However, fans couldn’t help but notice the preferential treatment he received, something they pointed out was never extended to Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, or Robby Gordon in their days. While there were high hopes that Larson might even surpass Tony Stewart’s legendary finishes when pulling double duty, it looks like Mother Nature had other ideas.

Despite jeopardy; Justin Allgaier saves Kyle Larson’s 1100-mile ambition 

Hoping to race both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in one day, Larson faced delays at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway due to storms, which messed up his chances to complete the iconic double. Despite rookie errors, Larson managed a P18 place at Indy, then hustled over to Charlotte. 

Taking two helicopter rides and a quick plane flight, he landed just in time for the Coca-Cola 600, where Justin Allgaier had already started driving his #5 car, putting him in a good P13 position. But as luck would have it, the weather struck again, halting the race with 151 laps to go. It seemed like Larson might still get a shot to jump in his car after a race restart, but that hope fizzled out when the race was eventually called off. All the prep and delays set up for Larson ended up for nothing—missing both a win at Indianapolis and the chance to compete in Charlotte.

And with that, Tony Stewart will keep his title as the top dog of the double duty, at least for another year. Back in 2001, he was the first and still the only driver to nail all 1,100 miles of both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, placing sixth in Indy and third in Charlotte. That record still stands as the benchmark.

Sadly, Kyle Larson didn’t even come close this time. But it looks like he’s not ready to throw in the towel just yet. He’s fired up and already thinking about another shot at double duty. Everyone’s waiting to see how Rick Hendrick will respond, especially considering how this year’s attempt shook up Larson’s season and playoff prospects. Will he support another go?

The wheelman of #5 is itching to take another crack at the doubleheader

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During the Indy 500—which Josef Newgarden won for the second consecutive time—Larson was in the mix with the leaders until a couple of blunders set him back. He botched a shift on a restart, dropping about ten places, then later, during a critical pit stop, he locked up his tires and sped, which buried him beyond the top 20 after serving a drive-through penalty. Despite clawing back a few positions, he never caught a break with a caution to bunch up the field. And that eventually led him to miss the start of the Charlotte Motor Speedway race.

Interestingly, Rick Hendrick initially emphasized that Larson should prioritize the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway if push came to shove. Yet, as things unfolded with the weather delay in Indianapolis, HMS decided Larson would stay put for the Indy 500.

And now #5, undeterred by the setbacks, is already eager to dive into double duty again next year. “I would definitely love to be back next year feel like I learned a lot. Made a couple of mistakes early there with the restart — not sure what I did there. Feel like I did a really good job after that and was able to learn a lot,” Larson shared after the Indy 500 race.

What’s your take? Was it wise for Larson to prioritize the Indy 500 over NASCAR, given the circumstances?