After ready out a four-hour rain delay, Kyle Larson rolled off fifth within the No. 17 Arrow McLaren-Rick Hendrick Chevrolet and skilled the highs and lows that comes with competing within the Indy 500.
Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Sequence champion, rotated out and in of the highest 10 within the opening half of the 200-lap race, however hit bother on lap 131 when he carried an excessive amount of velocity coming into the pits. Consequently, Race Management handed him a drive-through penalty that he served three laps later and went a lap down.
Nevertheless, a warning on lap 147 supplied the possibility to get again on the lead lap with a wave round and battle again – even main 4 laps throughout a pit cease cycle – to gather the highest 20 outcome. He was scored because the second-highest rookie within the discipline behind Ed Carpenter Racing’s first-year driver Christian Rasmussen, who began twenty fourth and completed twelfth.
After the race, Larson teased a return to “The Best Spectacle in Racing” earlier than flying to Charlotte in an effort to complete the 600-mile Cup race as a part of the second leg of ‘The Double’ – operating each the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the identical Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren/Rick Hendrick Chevrolet, #98: Marco Andretti, Andretti Herta w/ Marco & Curb-Agajanian Honda, Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti World Honda
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
“I’d undoubtedly like to be again subsequent yr,” Larson stated. “I really feel like I discovered loads all through the race. Made a few errors early there with the restart. Unsure what I did fallacious there.
“I in some way obtained myself into third (gear) after which felt like I did a very good job on the restarts and was in a position to study loads. Positively be ok with realizing what I would wish completely different for the steadiness to assist runs and stuff. Clearly, I smoked the left entrance on the green-flag cease and killed our alternative.
“Proud to complete, however fairly upset with myself. Simply might have executed a greater race. You do not know what might have occurred. Yeah, bummed at myself, however big thanks to Arrow McLaren, Hendrick Motorsports, Hendrick Automotive Group, Rick Hendrick, Chevrolet, Valvoline, everyone that is part of this. We’ll go hop on the jet and see if I can get into the 600 in some way.”
Larson instantly left the monitor for NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, which was already properly underway. Justin Allgaier jumped behind the wheel of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Larson arrived after 249 of 400 laps have been accomplished, however a big rain storm hit the monitor across the similar time.
Allgaier was operating thirteenth on the time of the purple flag however Larson didn’t find yourself driving because the race by no means resumed.
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