Kyle Larson had built his 2024 IndyCar and NASCAR Double attempt into something larger than a racing challenge—it was a dream. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion chased the rare and grueling feat known as “The Double” — running the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. But instead of making history, rain delays, pit lane penalties, and emotional gut punches trapped Larson in a nightmare.
The Indy 500 started with a delay because of persistent rain. Despite leading laps and running in the top 10 most of the day, a speeding penalty buried his hopes as he finished 18th in his Indy 500 debut. As soon as the event ended, Larson flew to Charlotte, but heavy rain cut the Coca-Cola 600 short before he could join. “What I thought could be one of the best days of my life quickly turned into one of the most disappointing,” Larson admitted. He thanked his teams and fans, but couldn’t hide the heartbreak. “I feel like I let so many people down,” he wrote.
Still, he looked ahead. The second chance in 2025 was going to be different. But then Thursday happened. In a mock qualifying run at Indianapolis, Larson’s big comeback hit a wall—literally. While attempting a high-speed lap in the No. 17 Arrow McLaren-Hendrick Chevrolet, Larson pushed too high entering Turn 1. The car got tight, missed the bottom, and slapped the SAFER Barrier. The hit broke the right front suspension and sent him bouncing into the Turn 2 wall.
Larson climbed out unharmed, but his IndyCar was destroyed. The team chose to load up the wreck and end the session early. Larson’s analysis? “I was just super tight… I bailed a while before I hit the wall, but once you lose the front, you are just along for the ride.” He later joked, “I’m happy to crash my first Indy car and live through it.” But fans were not laughing. The crash triggered a flood of backlash from fans who were already skeptical of Larson’s place in the racing pantheon.
One user fired off: “How does ‘the greatest driver in the world’ do that? Must have been the track’s fault, huh?” The sarcasm was loud. These comments hit back at Larson’s self-proclaimed persona of being the best driver. Larson is widely respected across motorsports. He won the 2021 NASCAR Cup title, dominates on dirt tracks, and has run circles around the competition in late models and sprints.
Kyle Larson has slapped the wall with the right-side tires.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 24, 2025
But IndyCar isn’t dirt or stock cars. It’s brutal, fast, and unforgiving. Larson said the crash felt similar to a NASCAR hit, but IndyCar fans weren’t sold. Despite the crash, the stakes are even bigger this time. Larson is racing under the eye of Prime Video, which is filming a feature-length documentary on his journey. This year’s Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double isn’t just a personal goal — it’s a major media event. Prime will also stream the 600 as part of its new NASCAR deal, putting Larson front and center on race day.
And Larson is ready for the challenge. After the crash, he admitted that it won’t affect his mental strength when he comes back in May. “I tend to move on and forget about things pretty quickly, so I don’t think even getting into the wall will affect the mental side of things, as we come back in May. I feel fine. Got my hands off the wheel, I knew to do that,” he admitted. For now, the team is sending the car to the shop. Larson is returning to Hendrick Motorsports to regroup. He will run his next IndyCar session on May 13. He’ll need it. Because if Thursday was a preview, the road to redemption is steep.
The Internet lets loose on Kyle Larson!
The crash didn’t just derail Larson’s test—it ignited fans across the internet. The same people who once called him the most versatile driver in America didn’t hold back. One user mocked him brutally: “Kyle Larson has never met a wall he didn’t slap. It’s kind of his thing. Showing the track who’s in charge right away.” It was a direct shot at his growing number of crashes across different series. In the ongoing NASCAR season, he has the worst crashing scores among his Hendrick Motorsports team. The pattern is hard to ignore.
Another user chimed in: “He’s so good, he doesn’t need right-side tires.” The joke landed because the crash sheared off the right front. The suspension damage was enough for Arrow McLaren to pack up early and ship the car back to the shop. A third fan got creative: “He was looking for the cushion.” That jab connected Larson’s dirt racing roots—where “riding the cushion” is often a fast line—with his misjudged corner entry at IMS. There’s no cushion in IndyCar. Just walls. And this time, the wall won.
One of the harshest came from a user invoking Formula 1 dominance: “VERSTAPPEN WOULD MOP THE FLOOR WITH KL5.” This comment comes targeting Larson’s boast from last year when he declared that he would beat four-time Formula 1 World champion, Max Verstappen, in equal equipment. These reactions didn’t come from haters. Many were from longtime fans—disappointed, not dismissive.
They’ve seen Larson win everywhere. But they’re not seeing it in IndyCar yet. And in motorsports, greatness isn’t measured in hype. It’s measured in results. Kyle Larson still has time to silence the noise. But Thursday reminded everyone of one thing: when you carry the label of “the greatest,” every mistake hits harder.
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