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Kyle Larson has spoken out after crashing during the Indy500 Fast Friday practice.
The 32-year-old driver, who is taking on the ambitious challenge of racing in the Indy500 and the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, spoke to FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass after being cleared by the infield medical center. He explained:
“Yeah, I think [I can maintain my confidence]. I think so. I think the conditions will be better tomorrow. I’m sure the track is actually cooling down a lot now, similar to what tomorrow will be. Bob, you see me crash all the time. So, I don’t think it usually affects me. But yeah, we’ll see.
“Like, today, I think when you turn the boost up for your speed lap, usually it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ you’re flying. That didn’t feel like as crazy as like the open test felt like when I turned it up for the first time. So, I’m happy the speed didn’t scare me or anything like that. I think, as long as the car is okay, I think we’ll be fine.”
As a result of the Indy500 testing, Larson is missing the start of the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star weekend. Hendrick Motorsports confirmed that Justin Allgaier is stepping in for Larson and will also be on hand to replace him should any delays prevent him from entering the race.
Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Larson’s No. 5 team, said, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
“We’re fortunate to have Justin and we appreciate him stepping in to help. He and Kyle are very similar in size, so there’s a lot in the cockpit that’s common between the two.
“I think that serves him well and it serves us well. He’s had some time in the simulator driving the track and he did the wheel-force test there a year ago, so he’s got some experience in the Cup car at North Wilkesboro. We’re looking to put in a solid practice and make sure the car drives good.”
What are the NASCAR Cup Series standings ahead of the All-Star Race?
- Kyle Larson – 469
- William Byron – 434
- Christopher Bell – 384
- Chase Elliott – 378
- Ryan Blaney – 362
- Tyler Reddick – 357
- Denny Hamlin – 346
- Alex Bowman – 325
- Joey Logano – 318
- Bubba Wallace – 310
- Ross Chastain – 300
- Chase Briscoe – 278
- Austin Cindric – 273
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 258
- Ryan Preece – 251
- Josh Berry – 244
- Kyle Busch – 244
- John H. Nemechek – 234
- Carson Hocevar – 230
- Michael McDowell – 228
- Austin Dillon – 227
- Zane Smith – 227
- Todd Gilliland – 227
- Chris Buescher – 224
- AJ Allmendinger – 218
- Ty Gibbs – 217
- Daniel Suárez – 209
- Justin Haley – 206
- Erik Jones – 196
- Ty Dillon – 188
- Noah Gragson – 181
- Riley Herbst – 151
- Brad Keselowski – 148
- Cole Custer – 139
- Shane Van Gisbergen – 138
- Cody Ware – 68
- Jimmie Johnson – 34
- Corey LaJoie – 24
- JJ Yeley – 9
- Katherine Legge – 7
- Casey Mears – 2
- Burt Myers – 1
- Chad Finchum – 1
- Martin Truex Jr – 1