NASCAR would have “called off the race a lot earlier” if not for Kyle Larson’s ‘build-up’, states Jordan Bianchi

In an episode of The Teardown podcast, NASCAR insiders talked about the fans' disappointment that erupted because of Kyle Larson's inability to run during the Charlotte Cup race. On May 26, bad weather destroyed Larson's hopes of competing in the recent Memorial Day Double.

Hendrick Motorsports star, Larson made his debut in the rain-delayed Indy 500 race with an 18th-place finish, piloting the #17 Arrow-McLaren in partnership with HMS. Soon after completing the race in Indianapolis, Larson flew back to Charlotte to relieve backup driver Justin Allgaier in the #5 Chevy at the Coca-Cola 600. However, 2021 Cup Series champion, Larson couldn't get the job done.

In a recent episode on The Teardown podcast, NASCAR analyst Jordan Bianchi opined that the officials would have called off the race earlier if it weren't for Larson's double attempt and the "build-up." According to Bianchi, NASCAR wanted to allow #5 Larson's fans an opportunity to witness him behind his Camry at Charlotte.

Bianchi said:

"I believe that if Kyle Larson wasn't going to get in the race car and there hadn't been this like build up because they'd showed it on TV, him coming in there and there's like this, there's just this climax that was coming this crescendo. I think they would have called it a lot earlier."

"They(NASCAR official) knew their fans there. They were paying money just to see Kyle race. And it didn't have I think if Kyle raised collars and hadn't been at race, or had, this would have been a normal race, that thing would have been called much sooner," Bianchi added.

Despite his maiden attempt in the IndyCar Series, Larson qualified in the top five in the Indy 500. He would have become the fifth driver to attempt the 1100-mile Double after John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Kurt Busch. A return in 2025 at the prestigious Indianapolis race was however, alluded to by the 31-year-old.

---

2025 Indy return a possibility for Larson

Indy car rookie, Kyle Larson expressed his desire for the Indy 500 dash in 2025 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The #17 Arrow McLaren driver hinted at giving another shot to the double next year, before heading back to Charlotte. Here's what he said in a conversation with Indycar on NBC:

"I would definitely love to be back next year. Feel like I learned a lot throughout the race." [0:10]

"Proud to finish but pretty upset at myself. If I could just execute a better race, you never know what could happen, bummed at myself," Larson added.

The heavy rains at Indianapolis resulted in a delayed Indy 500 race. However, the HMS driver finished his Indy run but couldn't reach Charlotte on time for the Cup Series race. He was thus dethroned in the Cup Series standings.

As per the latest rankings, Denny Hamlin tops the table with a six-point buffer over Larson.