Team Penske loyalty makes Ryan Blaney keep Kyle Larson off the podium in Indy 500 wish

Ryan Blaney has spoken about Kyle Larson's second attempt at the Indy 500 this year. Though the Team Penske driver acknowledged that his NASCAR rival could be in contention for a win at the 'Greatest Spectacle of Racing,' his loyalty to his fellow Penske IndyCar drivers came first.

Team Penske's Josef Newgarden has won the Indy 500 back-to-back in the last two years and is aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive win on May 25. Blaney is of the stance that Newgarden, who has the 'it' factor, will win the premier IndyCar race yet again.

During NASCAR's AdventHealth 400 in Kansas this past weekend, he also spoke about Kyle Larson's chances at the Indy 500. However, Blaney hoped that the Hendrick Motorsports driver would finish fourth, behind the Penske trio of Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, and Will Power.

"I root for him (Larson) to run fourth after, you know, Josef, Scotty, and Will. But yeah, I tune in all I can to that stuff in general because I like IndyCar racing and watching it. Obviously, I root for a lot of guys in that thing, and yeah, watching his process of how he did it.

"I thought it was really cool last year, to keep up with it, and he did a really good job there last year until he sped on pit road," the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champ said via Peter Stratta on YouTube.

Kyle Larson's first attempt at the Indy 500 in 2024 as part of 'The Double' was foiled by him speeding on pit road, which landed him a drive-through penalty. He started in fifth place for Arrow McLaren but eventually finished 18th because of the costly mistake.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver won NASCAR's AdventHealth 400 in Kansas on Sunday, with Ryan Blaney finishing on the podium in P3. It was Larson's third win of the season after Homestead-Miami and Bristol.

Kyle Larson will skip the final part of the 109th Indy 500 qualifying for NASCAR's All-Star race

Kyle Larson at the NASCAR Cup Series Wurth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY - Source: Getty

The two-day qualifying for the 109th Indy 500 will take place over the upcoming weekend on May 17 and 18. The final phase of qualifying, the Fast 6, where the fastest six drivers will battle for pole position, is scheduled from 6:25 pm to 6:55 pm ET.

Kyle Larson is set to compete in NASCAR's North Wilkesboro All-Star Race on the same day at 8 pm ET. In an interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, the NASCAR champ said he'd prefer to race for the $1 million prize of the All-Star Race than vying for pole position at the Indy 500 qualifying.

"I think that I would miss the Fast 6 and go to the All-Star Race. It’s important to race in, it’s a lot of money on the line, so sure it’d be great to, you know, have an opportunity to get the pole, but I’d rather race for a million dollars and start sixth [at Indy].

"We’ll see. I mean, you never really know how it’s going to go. Gotta make sure our car’s fast enough to even worry about all that anyways," he said.

In 2024, Kyle Larson couldn't compete in the shortened Coca-Cola 600 after he decided to wait out four hours of rain at the Indy 500. This year, he will prioritize the 600-mile NASCAR race in case of a similar weather delay at the IndyCar race. In that case, Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan, winner of the 2013 Indy 500, will replace him in the No. 17 Chevy.