In the end, it was a frustrating Sunday for Kyle Larson, who had weather impact his attempt at the double before finishing 18th at the Indianapolis 500.
Part of the reason why Larson struggled at the Indy 500 was issues he had during pit stops. That included a pit road speeding penalty that he took during the race. Following the race, he remembered what happened there.
“I smoked the right front tire or something on a green flag pit stop,” Larson said.
There were fewer than 70 laps to go when Kyle Larson took the penalty as he slowed down to around 60 mph going into pit row. With his tires locked up, smoke blasted, and IndyCar officials hit him with a costly penalty.
“If I just could have executed a better race, you never know what could happen,” Larson said, clearly emotional. “Yeah, just bummed with myself.”
Despite all of that, Kyle Larson was named the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. That came with a $50,000 bonus for Larson’s efforts throughout the event.
There were high hopes that Kyle Larson could be one of the top finishers at the Indy 500. However, that didn’t happen. In the end, it was Josef Newgarden who finished in first place. Pato O’Ward and Scott Dixon finished in second and third place respectively.
After the Indy 500, Kyle Larson traveled to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. However, with bad weather also impacting the race in North Carolina, Larson didn’t run a lap despite making the driver swap. In his place, Justin Allgaier drove the number five car in the race. He finished in 13th place.
Kyle Larson shares message following double attempt
Following the weather-impacted double attempt, Kyle Larson sent out a heartfelt message to everyone who was involved.
“What I thought could be one of the best days of my life quickly turned into one of the most disappointing ones I’ve ever experienced. I hate it for Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, HAG, Hendrick Motorsports, everyone a part of the 5 team, everyone on the 17 IndyCar for speeding, my family, my friends, my fans, and the documentary crew that has followed along the journey the past 8 months. So much time, money, and effort went into this experience and it just kills me to have it all end the way it did. I feel like I let so many people down. We knew all along weather could throw a wrench into things but seeing it come to reality is a horrible feeling,” Larson wrote.
“Up until Sunday it was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life. I can’t describe how appreciative I am of everyone’s support of me to live out a dream. I hope it’s not the last opportunity I have to try the Double but if it is I guess it was memorable. Thank you to everyone at Arrow McLaren, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and all the competitors there for making me feel welcomed. Ready to get back on track now and get refocused on winning a 2nd championship for our team.”
In the end, the failed attempt would be costly to Kyle Larson. He went into the weekend with a 30-point lead in the standings. Now, he’s fallen six points behind Denny Hamlin.
