Rick Hendrick is adamant that Kyle Larson will compete in the Coca-Cola 600 next season, even if that means leaving the Indianapolis 500 early.
Larson will again attempt the Memorial Day Weekend double between the NTT IndyCar Series and NASCAR. He ran the full Indianapolis 500 in May with Arrow McLaren, but did not make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 because of the weather. The same storm cell that delayed the start in Indianapolis then moved to North Carolina and cut NASCAR’s crown jewel event short, denying Larson the chance to get into his Cup car after scrambling to Charlotte from Indianapolis.
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NASCAR granted Larson a waiver to remain championship-eligible, but it took over a week for that decision to be announced, and it was a hotly contested topic as to whether Larson deserved his exemption.
“We’re going to run the (Coca-Cola) 600,” Hendrick said of 2025. “We will be here for the 600. If that means having to cut the race short in Indy, we will, because my commitment to NASCAR is that we’re in NASCAR, and that’s where we run for the championship.
“So if weather catches us, Tony [Kanaan] will get in the car.”
Kanaan can only get in the car if he starts the race. IndyCar does not allow for relief drivers should Larson start the event and need to leave.
Hendrick and Larson initially said NASCAR and the Coca-Cola 600 would be their priority ahead of this year’s race. However, the excitement and preparation around Indianapolis, combined with the late start to the race after rain moved in, led to a change in plans. Larson qualified fifth and finished 18th – earning Rookie of the Year honors – in his debut after a late-race speeding penalty.
When asked if Larson would be taken out of the car if he’s leading late in the Indianapolis 500 and the time comes to head to Charlotte, Hendrick said, “Yes.”
“We’ve made that commitment,” Hendrick reiterated. “We’re going to be here in Charlotte.”
Said Larson, “I think this year went the way it did, and I couldn’t be in two places at one time, although I would have loved to. I think I owe it to my NASCAR team, as well, to get here in time to try and win one of the biggest races of the season, and a race that has the most implication to the season as well. So right now, I’m OK with it.”