Larson, Hendrick Motorsports in Talks to Return to Indianapolis 500 in 2025

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Don’t be fooled: Kyle Larson wants to race in the Indianapolis 500 again next year.

The deal he and Hendrick Motorsports signed with Arrow McLaren Racing was supposed to run for two years, but 2025 was an option year and, as Larson said Wednesday, was still a work in progress.

If he were to decide, the decision would be made sooner rather than later.

“I would like to. We’re still working on it,” Larson said. “It’s progressing. So I like it, but obviously things can change.”

Larson was a star at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, where he qualified fifth, but a late-race speeding penalty sidelined him and he finished 18th. In addition, Indianapolis was delayed for hours by rain, and the Hendrick camp, after investing millions of dollars in the project, decided to leave him for the 500 and focus on the Coca-Cola 600 in Concord, North Carolina.

As soon as the Indy 500 ended, Larson flew to North Carolina — where he was greeted by more rain. He ran to his car when the race was stopped due to weather, and because the race was never resumed, he didn’t get a chance to run the 600.

This caused confusion within NASCAR, with many members of senior management taking the position that Larson and Hendrick had prioritized the Indianapolis 500 over the 600 and therefore were not entitled to an automatic exemption to compete in the playoffs.

The situation dragged on for more than a week, as a frustrated Hendrick camp was furious that the situation was being over-analyzed while other drivers received waivers for non-racing incidents. Matt Kenseth, for example, missed half of the 2018 season, all of 2019 and the first four races of 2020, but received a playoff waiver when he was hired as a fill-in driver for the suspended Larson.

Kurt Busch was given a waiver while he was suspended amid a domestic assault investigation, and Tony Stewart was given a waiver after taking a break due to mental health issues.

NASCAR eventually granted Larson a waiver — and he will start the playoffs at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday as the points leader — but it is unlikely Rick Hendrick will sign for another Indy 500 without a guarantee from NASCAR.

Either way, it’s the chance to complete the 1,100-mile race in one day that most interests Larson. John Andretti, Stewart, Busch and Robby Gordon are among the drivers who have attempted “The Double” before Larson, but Stewart is the only one to finish both races on the same day.

This year, the Indy 500 was raced the entire distance, but the Coca-Cola 600 completed only 249 of 400 laps, and by the time Larson reached North Carolina, the race was effectively over because of rain.

“I wish I could, because I didn’t get to do the Double this year. That’s why I wanted to do this,” Larson said. “Of course I wanted to do the Indianapolis 500, but more than anything I wanted to do the Double and have a chance to win one of the two or both, and I just felt like I didn’t get that opportunity.”

A decision on Indy could be made as early as next week.