NASCAR: 5 Cup drivers who could race the Indy 500

NASCAR candidates for Indy 500: No. 5 – Kyle Larson

The speculation surrounding Kyle Larson racing in IndyCar, specifically the Indy 500, ramped up when Larson arrived at Hendrick Motorsports. In his first season with the Charlotte, North Carolina-based team, the 29-year-old won 10 races, an accomplishment unseen since Jimmie Johnson in 2007, as well as the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Larson’s ability to win races on any type of NASCAR track, dirt races, and even the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona has made open-wheel racing a target for the Elk Grove, California native.

For Larson, the interest is there, as he recently told CBS Sports that he would “would love to run the Indy 500 someday”. He added that he would only want to do it if the right opportunity is there and if he had the chance to do it in a car which he felt was capable of winning.

Those opportunities would be there for Larson, as arguably any competitive team in IndyCar would jump on the chance to sign him to a deal to race in the Indy 500.

His former NASCAR boss, Chip Ganassi, comes to mind, as Ganassi has had a successful career as an IndyCar team owner, winning 10 championships and four Indy 500s.

But Hendrick Motorsports might just be an option as well, with vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon saying that he and Rick Hendrick are open to letting Larson run the 500 and are looking to expand the team outside of NASCAR.

Larson is a former Coca-Cola 600 winner, having won the race last year, so his raw talent could make him the prime candidate not only to match Tony Stewart but to win one or both of the events.

None of these drivers are set to run the Memorial Day Double this year, however, with both races scheduled to take place this coming Sunday, May 29.