IndyCar: Kyle Larson to run the Indy 500?

Kyle Larson has proven himself to be a household name in the world of motorsport, and with a recent blessing, his shot to compete in IndyCar, specifically the Indy 500, may be closer than ever.

Kyle Larson has shown that he can perform in just about any car he straps into, but he has never tried his hand at IndyCar. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion has shown that he can win on just about any track in a stock car, and he has racked up a plethora of wins in local dirt track races across the country.

Whether it be in a sprint car or a late modified, Larson’s raw talent on dirt showed early on why any success he would go on to have at higher levels of motorsport should be of no surprise to anybody.

Though Larson has shown his dominance in the aforementioned avenues of racing, his lack of open-wheel racing has always been a talking point. What could the 29-year-old could do behind the wheel of one of those cars?

Larson has competed and teamed with open-wheel legends before, most notably when he was part of the overall winning team in the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing. Still, the competitive nature which the Elk Grove, California native would bring to IndyCar has remained a mystery.

With IndyCar being one series in which Larson has not added his name to the list of legends, a recent blessing could provide him with the opportunity to do just that.

Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern has reported that Larson’s current boss at Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon, says that the team is “open to letting” Larson run the Indy 500.

The idea of running the Indy 500 has been something that Larson has been open to for quite a few years, and he recently stated once again that he would “would love to run the Indy 500 someday”. But he has also said that he would want to race in a competitive car and not just show up to say that he did it.

NASCAR drivers are no strangers to taking their talents to the world of open-wheel racing. In fact, former Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson recently switched over to IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing after the 2020 season. After running the road and street course races in 2021, he is set to run a full-time schedule in 2022, including the Indy 500.

Additionally, it appears that Hendrick Motorsports would be open to fielding a car for Larson, as Stern reported that the organization is open to branching out of just NASCAR. If Hendrick Motorsports wouldn’t, it’s hard to think that an established IndyCar team wouldn’t give Larson the opportunity.

Only time will tell whether Larson competes in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” at the historic four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana. However, the stars seem to be aligning more than ever for him to do just that.