A crossover between the Formula 1 and IndyCar worlds is a rare sight. It takes a mammoth effort for the teams on both sides to be able to plan the historic double. However, Hendrick Motorsports and McLaren have struck a good partnership in allowing NASCAR star driver Kyle Larson to have a go at the historic double. While the first attempt ended in disappointment, the two pirates have agreed to script a redemption for Larson in 2025.

Based on this arrangement, Hendrick Motorsports seems to be on the good end of the deal. However, McLaren themselves are planning a similar project with their IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward, who will run the practice sessions during the NASCAR race in Mexico. McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, sat down with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and expressed his desire to have O’Ward compete in a NASCAR race next year.

The McLaren-Hendrick partnership at the Daytona 500 could be possible

NASCAR’s trip south of the border next year has opened multiple possibilities for teams to link up new partnerships. McLaren making the most of their ties will see Pato O’Ward run a practice session in an F1 car. So, it is a test run for the young driver who gets his run time in the F1 car as the reserve driver. But there’s a bigger picture in the play here for McLaren, which might open the door for their NASCAR entry.

Zak Brown, while speaking to Dale Jr., explained Pato’s exhibition run for next year, stating, “He’s a huge talent. I mean, he’ll be massive news in Mexico. I’m going to wearing my Pato Who? Hat this weekend for some fun. But he’s huge when I go to Mexico. Formula E races there, Formula 1. So it’ll be great to put him out in free practice; one that will be big news.”

But Brown confessed that he is open to the prospect of Pato competing in the Xfinity Series race with the grace of Rick Hendrick. Not only that, just like their Indy 500 partnership, McLaren is hoping to feature at the Daytona 500 race as well. “And you know if we can get him in the Xfinity race, that would be cool. I love that stuff. I’d love to see Pato do that, right now it conflicts. What else can we do with Hendrick Motorsports? Maybe there’s something Pato at the Daytona 500. How cool would that be?”

These events and collaboration prospects are for next year. For the time being, Hendrick Motorsports will be focused on the playoffs with the Watkins Glen challenge lined up for this weekend.

Watkins Glen is HMS’ stomping ground

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Given how dominant the Team Penske Fords were at Atlanta, Hendrick Motorsports will need to bounce back. While Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott finished inside the top 10 places, it wasn’t enough to topple the Penske drivers. However, with the road course of Watkins Glen lined up next, HMS drivers will be feeling pretty good about their chances.

In fact, Rick Hendrick’s team will be looking to add a sixth straight win at the 2.45-mile road course in New York. William Byron, who has been out of contention for the win, is the defending winner and is among the frontrunners to claim the win this weekend. Kyle Larson emerged victorious with back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022. And Chase Elliott did the same, winning the race in 2018 and 2019. Now, that is a statistic no other team in the Cup garage can compete against.

The concern for HMS would be to make sure Kyle Larson has a good race at the Glen. Out of all four drivers, he is the one close to the cutline, with 15 points acting as a buffer. With just two races in the Round of 16 left, the No. 5 team cannot afford more mistakes or even get caught up in someone else’s mess.