Unlike last year, when he opted to wait out a rain delay at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete in the Indy 500, Kyle Larson is set to prioritize NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this year, even if it means missing out on the opportunity to compete in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" as a part of his Memorial Day Double attempt.
And yes, 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan is officially his backup driver, if it comes down to it.
However, such precedence has not been given to the previous weekend's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Larson once again plans to be at the "Racing Capital of the World" for Fast Friday practice and then for Indy 500 qualifying on Saturday and Sunday.
Last year, he flew from Indy to North Wilkesboro after participating in the Firestone Fast Six, the final qualifying session of Sunday. He made it in time for the All-Star Race, though NASCAR admittedly delayed the start by a couple minutes because of how close it was.
Still, Larson completely missed practice, qualifying, and the heat races for the All-Star event, and that prompted NASCAR on Fox analyst Kevin Harvick to come out of retirement and drive the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
Harvick was ineligible to go beyond practice and qualifying; he could not compete in the heat races because of the fact that he is no longer a full-time driver, even though he technically had All-Star eligibility otherwise. Plus, Larson had to start from the rear of the field in the main event anyway.
But with Larson clearly prioritizing Indy over North Wilkesboro again this year, there was some initial belief that perhaps this development could trigger another unretirement.
And Larson wanted to have a say in it.
According to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, Larson wanted Carl Edwards to be his replacement for this year's All-star practice.
Edwards, who surprisingly retired before the 2017 season began, seemingly doesn't go a single media availability without being asked about whether or not he plans to return to Cup racing, even as we have recently passed the eight-year mark since his most recent start.
But he never gives a straight-up "no" answer, which is taken by many to mean that the door is still open.
Kyle Larson said he wants Carl Edwards to practice his Cup car for the all-star race while Larson is at qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. So what say you, Carl? @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/O5l0i6dOfb
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 6, 2025
However, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Edwards was recently announced as a studio analyst for Amazon Prime Video's upcoming five-race stretch of the Cup Series broadcast schedule, and his plans do not include an All-Star Race practice cameo the week before Prime Video's coverage is scheduled to begin at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
I asked Carl Edwards about whether he'd take Kyle Larson up on this offer, and Carl said he was going to decline. https://t.co/lkFsq0Qq8p
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) March 11, 2025
All things considered, this was probably the "now or never" moment for a potential Edwards return. Though he joked that he'd probably wreck the car, all he would have needed to do at the four-turn, 0.625-mile (1.006-kilometer) North Wilkesboro, North Carolina oval was literally not wreck the car.
He would only have been allowed to practice and qualify; like Harvick, he would not have been allowed to partake in the heat races, and regardless of his practice and qualifying speeds, Larson would have to start at the rear.
But now with Edwards out of the picture, the search for another Larson replacement continues.
All-Star Weekend is scheduled to take place during the weekend of Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18. The race itself is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 (FS1) from North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET.