“Well he’s in a Penske car”: Kyle Larson cracks a subtle joke while giving Joey Logano advice about running IndyCars

Kyle Larson recently shared a few candid thoughts in a short interview with Joey Logano, giving insight into the experience of driving an IndyCar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The video, posted by IndyCar on FOX, featured Kyle Larson’s casual comments, including a light jab at Team Penske, Logano’s Indy 500 partner.

The clip was shared on social media through IndyCar’s official account. The caption read:

“Kyle Larson tells @JoeyLogano what it's like to drive an #INDYCAR at @IMS”

In the video, Kyle Larson didn’t hold back in giving Logano a quick rundown of how driving an IndyCar at Indianapolis compares to a NASCAR Cup car. Larson mentioned that when he came to the Brickyard, he was surprised by how intense the speed sensation was in the Cup car, due to the Cup car being looser and harder to handle. He said:

“Well he's in a Penske car, so he's got that easy. So just hold the flag, it's honestly nothing too crazy. When I came back here for the brickyard, I was surprised that the sensation felt as fast or faster than IndyCar here, just because in the cup car you're sliding around a little bit more, less kind of to lean on."

"so I think in IndyCar when you look at the wall you feel like you're hauling a** but before that, you're pretty stuck, so, the traffic, it's all similar just more magnified... I wish more guys would try it because they'd be surprised at how similar it really is,” he added.

As far as his performance is concerned, Larson participated in Tuesday’s opening practice session for the 2025 Indy 500, logging 45 laps with a best speed of 221.207 mph — 24th fastest in the field. The No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet showed solid pace as Larson used the session to get comfortable and run in traffic.

---

Kyle Larson highlights the importance of the Cup Series point leader running the Indy 500

Kyle Larson, the Hendrick Motorsports star, stressed the importance of the NASCAR Cup Series points leader competing in the Indy 500. In a session with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said being on top of the standings brings more attention to NASCAR and the Indy 500. By participating in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day this year, he will be marking his second consecutive attempt at the prestigious 'Double Duty'.

Kyle Larson has had a strong start to the 2025 NASCAR season. After 12 races, he leads the points standings with three wins, eight top-five finishes, and nine top-ten finishes. His win at Kansas Speedway was particularly dominant, leading 221 of 267 laps and earning the maximum 61 points for the weekend.

During the interview, Larson acknowledged that while being the points leader at the Indy 500 wasn’t a specific goal this year, it’s a valuable position to be in.

“We were able to be leading the points as well last year, and I thought that was really neat. It was definitely a goal of mine, I feel like, last year to be leading the points in the 500, but this year I wouldn't really say it was a goal, but I do still feel like it's very important for our series that the point leader is running the Indy 500,” he said.

He added that he’s glad they were able to “have enough of a points wing” to take the lead before heading into a busy two weeks. Kyle Larson also hit a major milestone recently — surpassing 10,000 career laps led, a feat achieved only by Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch among active drivers.