Kyle Larson presses on “not fun” outcome of key difference between NASCAR & IndyCar racing

Star Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson spoke about the "not fun" aspect of IndyCar racing, as he elaborated on the different racing style he has to adopt at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Larson touched on the disastrous outcome of the wheel-to-wheel contact in open-wheel racing and the need to avoid it in the Indy 500.

Larson will be attempting the Memorial Day Double for the second time this Sunday, racing in the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver will prioritize the NASCAR race in case of a weather delay, with Tony Kanaan taking over the #17 Arrow McLaren Chevy.

Ahead of his second IndyCar race, Kyle Larson revealed that he has been practicing aggressive moves in the practice sessions to hone his racecraft in open-wheelers. Coming from the stock car racing world, where making contact is quite common, Larson said that doing the same in IndyCar could send cars flipping in the air.

In a recent interview on First Things First, Larson explained the key difference.

"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," said Larson [5:50 onwards].

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

Larson had a turbulent Month of May this year compared to last, crashing twice in practice sessions before qualifying 21st for the Indy 500. He gained two spots on the starting grid due to Team Penske's disqualifications. On the NASCAR side, Larson will attempt to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600 on Saturday, May 24.

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Kyle Larson weighs in on his chances of winning the Indy 500

Kyle Larson is not giving up hope of winning the Indy 500 as he prepares for his second Memorial Day Double. While he is more confident about his chances in the Coca-Cola 600, Larson believes his extensive oval racing experience could give him an edge in the Indy 500, starting 19th.

IndyCar drivers have less oval racing experience than their NASCAR counterparts, as the series primarily races on road courses. With his extensive background on ovals, Larson isn't ruling out a shot at victory, even with a mid-pack starting position.

"I would be more confident [about] winning the Cup race this weekend in NASCAR. I wouldn't close the door on me having a chance to win here [Indy 500], even with my inexperience in IndyCar. I have more oval experience than anybody in the field, although it might not be in an IndyCar... I think that does help," he said on First Things First. [7:00 onwards]

The green flag for the Indy 500 drops at 12:45 PM ET, and the green flag for the Coca-Cola 600 drops at 6:27 PM ET, on Sunday, May 25. Kyle Larson's primary objective is to complete the 1100 miles of racing in a single day, previously achieved by Tony Stewart.