Kyle Larson has strict advice about people “wasting their money” on him for the Indy 500

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is against the idea of people betting on him for the upcoming Indianapolis 500 race. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is set to make his much-anticipated Indy 500 debut later this month.

While Kyle Larson capped off a rather successful 2023 campaign with a runner-up finish, the 31-year-old driver has moved on to even bigger objectives in the ongoing season. Already a favorite for the Cup Series championship this season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is also set to make his IndyCar debut later in the month of May.

In what would be a historic race weekend, Larson would attempt "the Double," by competing in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 races in the same weekend. Larson would become the first driver since Kurt Busch to attempt the famed milestone.

In the lead-up to his Indy 500 outing, Larson spoke to the media where he discouraged people from "wasting their money" on him to go all the way at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Larson is the second favorite with odds of 13-2, just behind Alex Palou, who is the favorite at 4-1.

This ranking shocked Larson, particularly given that six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who has one Indy 500 win, is listed behind him. He said (via The Washington Post):

"That’s crazy, that doesn’t make any sense to me. I think people are wasting their money. But, maybe not? I guess I hope to add people wasting their money on me."

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Rain ruins Kyle Larson's Indy 500 practice sessions

Inclement weather conditions have married Kyle Larson's practice sessions for the Indy 500. Rain washed out the entire session on Tuesday, and McLaren managed only two laps before the weather turned. Wednesday saw similar issues, with half the day lost to rain.

NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400

Larson completed 47 laps with a top speed of 225.245 mph, focusing on learning how to run in traffic. However, his practice time was further curtailed when McLaren called him back to the garage for significant setup changes in anticipation of more rain on Friday, the day before qualifying.

Ahead of Thursday's practice session, Larson told the media (via The Associated Press):

"It’s been an enjoyable experience so far, just would like to enjoy driving my car. I just keep going back to the motorhome, lay down on the couch, relax. These days are so long and I just want to kind of make some laps.

"I thought the weather would be good and I’d get to turn a lot of laps, but everybody has turned laps but me. It’s been a bit boring and frustrating."

If successful, Kyle Larson would become only the fifth driver in history to compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. The last driver to complete all 1,100 miles was Tony Stewart in 2001.