NASCAR driver Kyle Larson aimed to tackle the demanding Memorial Day Double on Sunday by competing in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. However, Larson failed to finish either race, ending his quest to conquer the grueling 1,100-mile challenge. Following this difficult day, NASCAR insiders Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck shared their insights on Larson’s hard-fought but disappointing effort.
Larson’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway came to an abrupt halt on Lap 91 when he crashed, causing a multi-car collision that took out several competitors. His troubles continued at Charlotte Motor Speedway during Stage 2 of the Coca-Cola 600, where he was involved in another wreck that forced him to retire from that event as well.
On the latest episode of The Teardown podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi analyzed the setbacks Larson faced at Charlotte. Bianchi commented on Larson’s attempt to bridge his NASCAR career with IndyCar, saying:
“I feel bad for him, I really do. Like, there was all of this buildup and all this attention, it was like last year because of Mother Nature you ruined it, and it’s like ‘Okay, here you go. You get a second crack at this,’ and it just went bad. And it went bad because he made mistakes. It wasn’t like he was a victim of circumstance or anything like that, he had a bad day at the office across the board,” —Jordan Bianchi, NASCAR Insider
Gluck mirrored Bianchi’s perspective and elaborated on the series of events that led to Larson’s crash in the 109th running of the historic Indy 500, describing the weekend as one to forget for the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Despite this rough Memorial Day Double, Larson has shown strong performance this season in the NASCAR Cup Series. With three victories and eight top-five finishes across 13 races, the 32-year-old Californian sits second in the driver standings behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron.
Kyle Larson Opens Up About His Challenging Memorial Day Double Effort
Kyle Larson, known for his adaptability across multiple racing disciplines including dirt tracks and all three national NASCAR series, was determined to overcome last year’s weather disruptions during the Memorial Day double. This year, it was mistakes on the track that brought his double attempt to a premature end.
Larson admitted that eagerness played a part in his early crash at the Indy 500, which dashed his hopes of finishing the race. Later that evening at Charlotte, another wreck curtailed his Coca-Cola 600 run, compounding an already tough day.
After being treated and released from the infield care center at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Larson reflected on the adversity of his day, saying:
“I just saw smoke off of 4 and I tried to get left and didn’t get far enough left and I think the 99 clipped me,” he told reporter Alan Cavanna. “Just a bummer way to end the day but it was a rough day all around for me.” —Kyle Larson, NASCAR Driver
Looking ahead, Larson and the NASCAR field will head to Nashville Superspeedway on June 1 for the next race, with live coverage beginning at 7 PM Eastern on Prime Video, PRN, and SiriusXM.
