Hours before his Indy 500 ‘Double’, Kyle Larson gets major favor from NASCAR for the Coca-Cola 600

NASCAR is making an exception for Kyle Larson in the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday (May 25). The sanctioning body won't send Larson to the back for missing the drivers' meeting and introduction amid the Hendrick Motorsports ace's attempt at The Double.

This means Larson gets to keep his second-place start after posting a 29.552s qualifying lap time behind pole-sitter Chase Briscoe. He will compete in the Indy 500 in the afternoon, which will cause him to miss NASCAR's pre-race activities, before flying to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.

Veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass shared the news about the #5 HMS driver getting a much-needed excuse from NASCAR on X.

“Kyle Larson is excused from drivers meeting and driver intros for the Cup race tomorrow. He won’t have to go to the rear if he misses either at Charlotte,” Pockrass wrote.

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

Kyle Larson is excused from drivers meeting and driver intros for the Cup race tomorrow. He won’t have to go to the rear if he misses either at Charlotte.

Larson will start his day driving the #17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He will take the green flag in 19th after moving two spots from his original qualifying position in 21st due to the violation of two Team Penske cars.

The 32-year-old will later fly to North Carolina for the Coca-Cola 600 in the second starting position, which he kept thanks to NASCAR's exemption. If he finishes in both races, he will complete a combined 1,100 miles in two different types of racecars.

Kyle Larson driving the #5 Chevrolet Camaro at Charlotte Motor Speedway - Source: Getty

Fox Sports will commence the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at 12:45 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, Prime Video will cover the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the schedule, starting at 6:00 p.m. ET.

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Kyle Larson explains the difference between racing NASCAR and IndyCar

Kyle Larson shared a first-hand perspective on racing NASCAR Cup and IndyCar cars. He said that while stock cars allow a decent amount of bumping, he avoids making contact in an open-wheel racecar, which he practiced during the several practice sessions.

In an interview with First Things First, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion said:

"There's moves that I've made that maybe in the stock car you could continue to poke your nose in there and touch fenders or something. In IndyCar, one of the two of you has to bail out of the throttle to not make contact. Even in stock car racing here at Indy, there's not much bumping going on, because the speeds are higher, and the track's a little flatter, so it's hard to get closer to people.” [5:50].

Bumping may add excitement on the NASCAR stage, but Larson reckoned it isn't fun in the IndyCar Series, adding:

“You definitely do not want to be touching wheels in IndyCar, 'cause you'll see people flipping through the air, which is not fun.”

Only five drivers in NASCAR's modern era have attempted The Double, namely John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Larson. Stewart, a three-time NASCAR champion and former IndyCar champ, is the only driver on the list to complete all 1,100 miles (2001).