Kyle Larson made his debut in the Indianapolis 500 this year but was not able to do start or even complete the double with the Coca-Cola 600.
As a result, Larson wants a second attempt and it sounds like a deal is just a matter of time.
“I would love to. We’re still working on it,” Larson said during media day for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, which begin this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. “It’s progressing, so I like that but obviously things can always change.”
His deal with McLaren, which fielded an entry alongside Hendrick Motorsports was always a two-year deal, but the second year was a mutual option and both parties are working through those details.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion started fifth and ran inside the top-10 for most of the race until a late speeding penalty eliminated him from contention. He earned rookie of the year honors and finished 18th, but because the race started almost four hours later than scheduled due to rain, he missed the start of the marathon NASCAR race at Charlotte and didn’t complete it either as rain shortened that event.
Larson and Hendrick faced scrutiny from NASCAR leadership for choosing to remain in Indianapolis after spending millions of dollars on the entry with McLaren under the expectation that they would receive a waiver from the sanctioning body to remain playoff eligible.
NASCAR ultimately ceded one, weeks after being forced into that decision, and now Larson and Hendrick will hope for better weather alongside better results.
Larson wants to join John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch as drivers to have contested the same day doubleheader.
“I would love to because I didn’t get to do ‘The Double’ this year. So that’s really why I wanted to do it,” Larson said. “I obviously wanted to compete in the Indianapolis 500, but more than anything, I wanted to do ‘The Double’ and have a chance at winning one of the two, or both, and I felt like I just didn’t get that opportunity.”