By ZECH YODER
This week was the Rookie Orientation Program (ROP) test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In all, four drivers completed the program, including Tom Blomqvist of Meyer Shank Racing and Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist of Chip Ganassi Racing. All eyes, however, were fixed on 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson, who had the 2.5-mile track to himself for three hours on Thursday morning/afternoon.
Kyle Larson races full time in the NASCAR Cup Series and is preparing to complete the 1,100-mile Memorial Day “double” by running the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon before flying to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 in the evening. Such a feat has only been accomplished by four other drivers, including John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and most recently Kurt Busch, who posted two top-10 finishes with a sixth-place finish at Indy and a third-place finish at Charlotte.
Of those who attempted the double, Larson is undoubtedly the most talented. Many believe he has a legitimate opportunity to go back-to-back with two wins in one day. Larson, who has close ties with central Indiana, is a world-class dirt racer and has dominated the ranks of open-wheel dirt racing since he was old enough to climb into a midget. His resume on dirt includes crown-jewel wins in both the United States Auto Club (USAC) and World of Outlaws. Two Chili Bowls, two Knoxville Nationals, BC 39, Kings Royal, Hoosier Hundred, Pennsylvania Speedweek, and, in 2011, the 4-Crown Nationals sweep at Eldora Speedway. In recent years, Kyle has begun running dirt late models and found tremendous success. Most notably, beating dirt late model king Jonathan Davenport at Volunteer Speedway in April of 2023.
Kyle Larson is the most talented driver in American motorsports and may be the best overall driver in the world. His car control and ability to adapt to different driving disciplines is unparalleled.
On Thursday, the rarely frazzled Larson stated that the test “was fun” and that the car was generally as he anticipated it would be. Larson’s fastest lap was 217.898 mph, which came on the 65th out of 72 laps he made on the day. Larson will be running in a car fielded by Arrow McLaren with backing by his NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports. McLaren has shown considerable speed at Indianapolis over the last several years with Pato O’ Ward being in contention for the win in each of the last two races.
Given Larson’s unequaled aptitude at adjusting to differing motorsport disciplines and McLaren’s speed at Indy, I expect Larson to learn quickly and start near the front on race day.
Larson is the biggest name outside of INDYCAR to make a start in the 500 since Fernando Alonso made his first Indianapolis 500 start back in 2017. Given his level of talent and oval experience, few doubt that Larson can roll to victory at Indy. Avoiding early trouble and a few breaks could land Kyle Larson in victory lane. A few more breaks in Charlotte could see Larson win the double.
Kyle Larson is the most talented driver of his generation. I can’t wait until he puts his talent on full display at Indy. Can you?
Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.