NASCAR’s most versatile racer is feeling jittery about the approaching weekend. Kyle Larson already carved out a place in the 2024 playoffs early in the season and already owns three Cup wins along with six top-five finishes. Yet the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s heart was heavy due to a foiled historic attempt in the sport’s history.

Kyle Larson attempted to be the second driver to complete the 1100-mile Double—the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600—all in one day. But the weather gods played spoilsport with his plans. As he heads back to the hallowed track of IndyCar, Larson cannot help but feel a little apprehensive.

Kyle Larson admits to getting sweaty hands

Remember the last week of May? As Kyle Larson singlehandedly united IndyCar and NASCAR, vast waves of excitement flooded over the motorsport world. Over a year of meticulous preparation and hours of practice went into the Double effort. Larson took the help of the best drivers: Jeff Gordon, who owns five wins at the Brickyard 400, or Tony Kanaan, Arrow McLaren’s sporting director and former 500 champion. However, Mother Nature snuffed all of that with the weather; the Indy 500 was delayed, and Larson missed the Coke 600.

This weekend, Kyle Larson heads back to the Indianapolis 500 venue, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And fearful scenarios grip him—what if rains spoil the 2024 Brickyard 400? But the weather forecasts look perfect for the racing weekend. High temperatures are expected to be in the low to mid-80s, with rain chances under 10% all three days. Yet Larson slipped his fears while talking to NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass, as he has more plans. “Um, still anxiety about the weather because we’re supposed to leave for Italy on Monday. Don’t need any rain.” 

But the heartburn from the foiled Double effort is not stinging Kyle Larson anymore. He explained his evolved approach: “I don’t know, I mean, I think I stay so busy with different races and stuff…When I move past a race, I kind of move on from it. So leading into this week, to this point, I haven’t really had any thoughts about the 500 or what that’s going to mean for this week or if I’ll have a different perspective when I get there, or anything like that.” 

The Brickyard 400 and the Indy 500 are also very different races. The lone practice session scheduled for Friday is leagues apart from the weeklong six-hour practice sessions and two days of qualifying that lead up to the 500. Plus, NASCAR cars run differently than Indy cars, like the latter’s breakneck 200+ mph speed is way higher.

So Larson’s record-setting pace at the Indy 500 practice sessions may not help much this weekend. Hence Kyle Larson admitted to the changed ambience: “Once I get there, definitely I’ll feel the difference in…I don’t think atmosphere is the word I’m looking for…the way that a NASCAR garage flows compared to an IndyCar garage.”

As the Brickyard 400 sets in after a considerable gap, Kyle Larson is feeling jittery about wheeling the Next-Gen car for the first time.

Major differences may prevail after a break

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Kyle Larson is a veteran racer, boasting 26 Cup victories, and his strength is on superspeedways and ovals. However, heading into the 2.5-mile oval in Indianapolis this weekend, his past does not vouch for him so well. In nine Brickyard 400 starts, he has just two top-fives, with a career-best third coming in 2021.

Things got worse for the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 driver in the past few races. He finished 39th in Chicago and 13th at Pocono. As a cherry on top, NASCAR is returning to Indianapolis after three long years. So it is going to be an unknown narrative for drivers.

Kyle Larson harped on that aspect recently, as he reasoned his Indy 500 efforts may not be of much help. “Even though, the IndyCar and Cup car feel similar, it’s different in the fact that in IndyCar you’re running wide open. We’re going to be lifting in every corner in the stock car and still, I think, we’ll feel the weight a lot there (in the corners). I think the line will be similar, but it will be similar to what it was with the previous generation car. So, no, I don’t think the laps I have in the IndyCar really mean anything this weekend.”

So the star NASCAR racer has a lot on his plate this weekend. The fear of rainfall can be popped like a balloon. Yet running the Verizon 200 At The Brickyard after a long gap might be challenging.