Last year, there were just enough time, with a little bit of help from NASCAR, for Kyle Larson to make it all the way to the final round of qualifying for the Indy 500, fly to North Wilkesboro Speedway, and compete in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Yes, NASCAR did delay the start of the race by a few minutes just to ensure that Larson could make it in time, but all things considered, it worked out perfectly for everybody. Larson got to make his Firestone Fast Six qualifying run, qualified fifth, and made it to North Wilkesboro in time.
This year, however, Larson would have a decision to make, should he advance to the Firestone Fast Six again.
And it appears as though he has already made it.
This year's Firestone Fast Six is set to be contested an hour later (6:25 p.m. ET) than last year's, meaning that if Larson were to stay, he would not get the chance to compete in the All-Star Race (8:00 p.m. ET). There is zero chance that NASCAR would delay the start by more than an hour just so that the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet could be there.
Larson has already effectively conceded that he will start no higher than sixth place for this year's running of the Indy 500, which he is once again set to contest for Arrow McLaren through a partnership with his Hendrick Motorsports Cup team.
Larson knows that he wouldn't make it to the four-turn, 0.625-mile (1.006-kilometer) North Wilkesboro, North Carolina oval in time if he were to remain at Indy, and he would rather race for the $1 million All-Star Race prize than the Indy 500 pole position, which also comes with $100,000.
Still, conceding the pole position for the Indy 500 to run a NASCAR exhibition race is a decision that could cost him, even if he is a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver.
Taking the pole position for the Indy 500 is arguably bigger than winning any other non-Indy 500 IndyCar race in itself, so anything shy of winning that $1 million would be a major disappointment for Larson if it comes at the expense of having an opportunity to take that top spot for the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing".
Of course, there is no guarantee that Larson makes it into the Firestone Fast Six, or even the Top 12. But if it comes down to it, it appears that the Indy 500 pole position is already out of the question for the driver of the No. 17 Chevrolet.
Larson is also committed to running NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway over the Indy 500 the following weekend if the Indy 500 is delayed by rain again, which marks a change from his approach last year. However, that approach had to change, given the revisions made to NASCAR's playoff waiver policy. Tony Kanaan is set to be Larson's Indy 500 backup.
Indy 500 qualifying is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18, and the All-Star Race is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 18. All IndyCar action is set to be shown live on either Fox or Fox Sports 1, while the All-Star Race is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss any of the action!