INDIANAPOLIS — Kyle Larson had to wait seven weeks for his moment of glory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
It was supposed to come in the 108th Indianapolis 500 on May 26 as the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion attempted to complete the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Instead of completing the Double, Larson experienced one of the most frustrating days in his career because of rain.
The start of the Indy 500 was delayed for four hours, which meant Larson would not be able to make it for the green flag in the 600. Justin Allgaier was in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet while Larson was wrapping up the Indy 500.
Larson flew from Indianapolis to Concord, N.C. and arrived just after the halfway point of the 600. But 10 minutes later, as he was prepared to climb into his race car, it began to rain. The race never resumed.
Because he missed the race completely, Larson and Hendrick Motorsports had to ask for a waiver, which was later granted, from NASCAR to be eligible for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Larson left the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, feeling as though he had some unfinished business.
Fast-forward to the 30th Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Larson completed that business.
It didn’t come in the form of an Indy 500 victory. Instead, it was his first win on the IMS 2.5-mile oval in the Brickyard 400.
“I think it adds to the emotion of winning here,” Larson told SPEED SPORT after the race. “Obviously this race means a lot to win no matter what the circumstances may be.
“I think just with getting to compete in the Indy 500, then having the weather kind of get in the mix and not being able to compete in the 600, then getting to come here and run the same paint scheme I was supposed to run at the 600, ultimately win in the fashion that we did with a lot of things kind of going our way there at the end.
“It was pretty emotional winning for sure. I think it definitely feels like it completes the circle of the double this year.”
Larson’s victory was one where he had to fight from the back. He started fifth and hung around the top five through Stage One and most of Stage Two, but on lap 105 Larson and Martin Truex made contact in turn three during the first lap of a restart.
That sent Larson to the pits, which put him out of sequence to other contenders.
Because other cars pitted ahead of him, Larson ultimately made it back to the lead on lap 122. One lap later, he pitted for what would prove to be his final pit stop.
It also put Larson in a position where crew chief Cliff Daniels told his driver to gain positions while saving fuel.
Larson proved to be a master at that strategy.
By lap 144, he passed Kyle Busch for seventh. Two laps later, he pulled ahead of Christopher Bell for sixth. On lap 148, he passed Denny Hamlin for fifth and one lap later, passed Zane Smith for fourth.
With 10 laps left in the scheduled 160-lap race, Larson was in a four-car battle that included the leader Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Hemric.
“I just tried to pass as many as I could when people were getting stacked up,” Larson explained. “When everybody kind of strung out, you just tried to save as much fuel just to give us more chance and more opportunity on pit road. You don’t know how the race is going to play out. Typically, if you have more fuel in the tank, your options are better.
“I was trying to save as much as I could. Ultimately, I don’t even know if it mattered. I don’t know if, like, at that point in the race me saving ended up mattering. Maybe it did. I don’t know.
“Regardless, yeah, it was really, really hard to pass at that point in the race. I felt like the best thing for me to do is just save as much as I could, try not to get passed from behind, give us some more opportunity to stay out, take two, gain track position that way.”
Things fell Larson’s way on Sunday.
On the first restart of overtime, Keselowski ran out of fuel on the frontstretch heading toward the restart zone and dove onto pit lane. That opened the inside position on the front row after the field had selected the inside or the outside of the Choose Cone.
Blaney had already chosen the outside as the second-place car, but with Keselowski out of the race, he was the control car. But by rule, Larson advanced from third to the inside of the front row and ultimately, that was the race-winning pass.
The restart included a huge crash in turn one that led to a red flag. After a lengthy delay, Larson got the jump on Blaney on the restart. As the leaders exited turn two, Ryan Preece crashed fback in the pack.
NASCAR did not turn on the yellow caution light until after Larson, pole winner Tyler Reddick and Blaney had taken the white flag.
That meant the race was essentially over and Larson was a first-time Brickyard 400 winner.
“I lived here for a couple years and raced locally throughout Indiana and the Midwest,” Larson explained. “Indiana fans love their dirt-track racing. I’ve always felt the support here.
“Obviously doing the Indy 500, I feel like it exploded for Indiana fans. I felt like when I was here for the 500, there were so many people wearing my T-shirts and my little jersey things that they made, all that.
“I recognized just as much of that here today. There was more, I feel like, 17 McLaren papaya gear as there was 5 Hendrick cars gear. I could tell there were a lot of fans that were back today from the weeks of the 500.
“I could tell my cheer during driver intros was really loud. Even the caution there when I was in third, like, I look in the stands, all the fans were I felt like getting jacked up for me (smiling).
“Anytime you have good fan support, it makes it special. It was cool. I love the Indiana fan base.”
He told the crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the race he planned on returning to compete in the 109th Indianapolis 500 in May, which drew a loud cheer.
Team owner Rick Hendrick, however, said no decision has been made whether Larson and Hendrick Motorsports will make another attempt at the Indy 500.
Larson remains confident he will be back.
“We definitely have been talking about it,” Larson said. “I think weighing what’s important to everybody.
“It sounds good, I’ll say, so far, but things could change. Yeah, we’ll see.
“I would obviously love to do it. I think everybody knows I would love to do it because in my mind I did not get to do it this year. I didn’t get to at least do the double.
“I hope that the pieces can fall into place, and we can hopefully get things put together and announce something, get excited about doing the double next year.
“Hopefully next year with the hybrid stuff, there’s more opportunity for more teams to be faster. I will say it’s pretty special.”
Larson created another storyline involving next year’s Indy 500. But after kissing the bricks following his Brickyard 400 win on Sunday, he can’t wait to do it again.
“Hopefully someday I can get a chance to win the 500,” he said. “I’ve won on the dirt track on the BC39, got to kiss the bricks there. Now today in the 400.
“I guess there’s one more to check off, which is the Indy 500, which would be pretty special.”