NASCAR’s Kyle Larson will race Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 on same day

• Kyle Larson is currently leading in Cup Series points and preparing for his second Indianapolis 500.
• Larson remains unfazed by setbacks, as demonstrated by his quick recovery from a crash during Indy 500 testing.
• Hendrick Motorsports’ collaborative team environment is credited for Larson’s recent wins.
• Larson focuses on each race individually, acknowledging the different challenges of the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

Going into the NASCAR All-Star race this coming Sunday, May 18, at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Kyle Larson and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team are on a roll. Based on his dominant performance at Kansas Speedway by leading 221 of 267 laps from the pole position, it could be a very interesting time in the world of motorsports.

The Elk Grove, California, native is leading in Cup Series points as he prepares for his second career Indianapolis 500 start.

“I just think it’s really cool,” Larson said in post-race interviews at Kansas. “I think it’s good for our team. I think it’s good for our sport. I think it’s good for racing that the Cup Series point leader is competing in the Indy 500 for the second year in a row. I would say last year was a goal of mine. This year, I didn’t really think about it. But I do think it puts even more of a spotlight on us and our sport.”

Even though Larson crashed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 2025 Indianapolis 500 testing session on April 24, he was uninjured when his Hendrick Cars-sponsored Arrow McLaren Chevrolet got into the SAFER barrier.

Chad Knaus, competition director for Hendrick Motorsports and seven-time championship-winning crew chief with driver Jimmie Johnson, summed up Larson’s easy-going personality when things aren’t going to plan.

“A very short memory is all I can think of,” Knaus said of Larson’s ability to bounce back. “He just goes and goes and goes. The thing that I’ve always been impressed with Kyle since he showed up at Hendrick Motorsports is that he is unfazed. Like nothing really gets under his skin. He doesn’t get wound up. He doesn’t get emotional about maybe something that happens on the racetrack. He doesn’t get emotional and carry weight on his shoulders — maybe they have a bad race or whatever it may be. He’s like water off a duck’s back. He just rolls with it, and he goes, and he continues to drive, and he loves racing.”

Cliff Danels, crew chief for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team, cited a total organizational effort for the reason why wins have come at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 23 and Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, and now Kansas on May 11.

“I don’t know that there’s a specific why for this year that would be different than the path to get us here,” Daniels said. “When you think back to 2021, the last year of the old car, Dover was one, two, three, four (finishing positions) for Hendrick, and we had some other really good races for the company that year.

“To me, it all goes back to, I think it was 2017: Mr. (Rick) Hendrick demanded that we weren’t going to have the building split with two teams in different buildings and put us all together, and we say it a lot, and it’s one thing to say but it’s another thing to practice of how closely all four teams really do work. There are no hidden notes. There’s no secret notebook. Everything is shared out in the open with our engineering corps, with the crew chief group. All of our meetings are together. We do everything as a combination of the four teams. There’s never any specific meeting or conversation that just happens between a couple of groups.”

The month of May is a busy one for all Cup Series drivers and teams, especially with the All-Star race and Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte to be run on May 25. Larson looks at each race, including Indianapolis, without looking too far ahead.

“…I don’t really let a race affect the next day of my life,” Larson said. “I doubt it’s going to do anything for myself, but I’d rather win leading into these next couple weeks than have a DNF or something. But I don’t really think it matters. It’s a totally different car (at Indy), totally different series … a lot to be learned over the next couple weeks.”

With the Kansas win, Larson hit the 10,000 laps-led mark in the Cup Series spanning 13 seasons. The Larson-Daniels duo has been very successful since joining forces in their 2021 Cup Series championship season.

“Honestly, the common thing that we have in our relationship is how much pure love we have for racing,” Daniels said. “We don’t go fishing together. We don’t even really talk much during the week.

“We love the sport. We love attacking races, figuring out ways to get better, ways to be faster. We both enjoy the way we build our team, the way our team interacts, and we communicate. We play crazy music before the race now; that’s a new thing for the 5 team.”

 Added Larson, “I think the only thing I would add would be that we both just have a lot of trust in each other. I trust that nobody works harder than Cliff and the 5 team, and I think he knows that although I’m not at the shop all the time, that’s me — he’s trusting me that I’m working to be the best race car driver I can be.”

Larson is a favorite to win this Sunday, and wins at Indianapolis and Charlotte are possible during a combined 1,100 miles. It’s a lot to take in, but Larson will remain cool and collected, no matter where he races.