NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Kyle Larson’s speed on Sunday wasn’t limited to his performance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After securing a second-row starting position for the Indianapolis 500, Larson navigated a tight schedule to make it to the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on the same day.
Larson, the NASCAR Cup Series points leader, drove his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish in Sunday night’s All-Star Race, attempting to defend his previous year’s win. NASCAR officials delayed the green flag by 16 minutes to 8:30 p.m. ET to accommodate Larson’s travel from Indianapolis, but he arrived with plenty of time, landing at the speedway over an hour before the race.
Earlier in the day, Larson was among the fastest six drivers in the final round of Indy 500 qualifying, securing the fifth starting spot for next Sunday’s race. After completing his last attempt at 5:30 p.m. ET, he headed to North Wilkesboro for his full-time NASCAR ride. Larson aims to complete the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26.
Larson missed the All-Star Race preliminaries, with former Cup champion Kevin Harvick coming out of retirement to drive the No. 5 Chevy in Friday’s practice and Saturday’s qualifying. Starting from the rear of the field due to the driver change, Larson quickly made his way back into contention.
He moved up to third place during the final 50-lap segment on fresh “option” tires, but their effectiveness faded towards the end.
“Yeah, I thought we were in great position there,” Larson said post-race. “Got to fourth pretty quickly; got to third pretty quickly. I thought I could just be patient. I built really loose for a little while, and then they started kind of inching away from me. I moved up and I was kind of hanging on from there. I was surprised that the guys that didn’t pit were as strong as they were. I thought we were going to be in the best position there to win.”
Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports’ Vice President of Competition, noted that if Larson hadn’t arrived on time, the No. 5 team would have withdrawn from the All-Star Race. The team considered a plan with NASCAR officials to place Xfinity Series regular Justin Allgaier as a substitute, but ultimately decided against it due to potential complications.
“It’s going to sit there and look pretty. We’ll save it for another event,” Knaus said about the team potentially withdrawing. “… The way things are working out, all of our cards are in getting Kyle here, and that’s the plan. To put Justin in and have him run the Open, we went down that road, we thought about it, we spoke with NASCAR, we came to a collective decision, that’s not the best route for all of us. We get pretty messy pretty quickly. Where is it fair? Is it fair to the people that are in the Open or not fair to the people in the All-Star. All of that stuff just gets kind of crazy, so better off just to make sure that our helicopters, our planes light off and we get him on the ground, and we get him on a golf cart and get him here.”
Last year, Larson dominated the All-Star Race, leading 145 of the 200 laps as NASCAR’s top division returned to North Wilkesboro for the first time since 1996. Chad Knaus, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, served as the grand marshal for this year’s All-Star edition at the 0.625-mile track.
MOST KEY POINTS:-
Key Points
- Kyle Larson’s Dual Racing Effort:
- Secured a second-row starting position for the Indianapolis 500.
- Raced in the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on the same day.
- NASCAR All-Star Race:
- Larson finished fourth in the All-Star Race.
- NASCAR officials delayed the green flag by 16 minutes to accommodate Larson’s travel.
- Larson arrived at the speedway over an hour before the race started.
- Indy 500 Qualifying:
- Larson was among the fastest six drivers, securing the fifth starting spot.
- His last qualifying attempt was at 5:30 p.m. ET.
- Logistical Support:
- Former Cup champion Kevin Harvick drove Larson’s car during practice and qualifying sessions.
- Larson had to start from the rear of the field due to the driver change.
- Race Performance:
- Larson moved up to third place in the final 50-lap segment with fresh “option” tires.
- The effectiveness of the tires faded towards the end, resulting in a fourth-place finish.
- Backup Plan:
- Chad Knaus mentioned that the team would not have participated if Larson hadn’t arrived on time.
- A potential backup plan involving Justin Allgaier was considered but ultimately dismissed.
- Historical Context:
- Last year, Larson dominated the All-Star Race, leading 145 of 200 laps.
- NASCAR’s top division returned to North Wilkesboro for the first time since 1996.
- Key Quotes:
- Larson: “Got to fourth pretty quickly; got to third pretty quickly. I thought I could just be patient. I built really loose for a little while, and then they started kind of inching away from me.”
- Chad Knaus on the backup plan: “It’s going to sit there and look pretty. We’ll save it for another event.”