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Kyle Larson’s journey toward competing in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 cleared another hurdle after the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion passed his rookie orientation.
Larson ran in the #6 McLaren Chevrolet and turned a fastest lap of 217.898mph out of the 70 laps he ran. In 2024, Larson will drive the #17 entry in a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports.
Rookie orientation is composed of three phases to get drivers accustomed to the higher speeds at Indianapolis. In order to pass, the three drivers had to turn 10 laps between 205 and 210mph around the 2.5-mile oval for phase one. Phase two is 15 laps between 210 and 215mph and phase three is 15 laps faster than 215mph.
It took Larson five laps to turn an average speed over 200mph. Larson completed the first phase of ROP after his 17th timed lap. For Larson, getting up to that speed quickly was a major milestone, maybe almost as large as completing that first phase.
“I didn’t want to take too long to get up to the 205 mark,” Larson said.
“I didn’t want to get made fun of; ‘Why did it take you so long?’ I did put pressure on myself to get your confidence built up here pretty quickly.”
Phase two was finished after Larson’s 36th timed lap. IndyCar deemed that Larson completed his program after his 56th timed lap, the larger number of laps due to a few trips to pit road.
Overall, the Elk Grove, California native enjoyed his first laps aboard an IndyCar.
“I guess mostly what I anticipated in a way, the speed and the grip didn’t feel thankfully scarier than what I thought it might,” Larson said. “But just like how much the car wants to pull left, you have to fight it back to the right on the straightaways. All that was something I didn’t expect. The wheel was lighter, a lot lighter than the simulator, but still a little heavier than what I expected. Other than that, I thought it went really smooth.”
There was only one issue for Larson during his time in the car. When leaving the pits, Larson’s car unexpectedly slowed despite Larson’s foot being planted on the throttle. The team brought the car back to pit road and quickly figured out the issue as an inadvertent button push.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Laron said. “I didn’t think I was doing anything different leaving. I think when I hit the first gear shifting on the way by, because the pit road speed limit, pit road whatever deal is on the back of the wheel, I think I hit that also and turned that off, so then it was doing some anti-stall things. It wouldn’t let me go.”
Larson will be the first driver since Kurt Busch in 2014 to attempt the Memorial Day Double of competing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600 in the same day. Larson’s program to run with Arrow McLaren came with Rick Hendrick’s blessing and Hendrick was on hand to see Larson turn laps.
“Today it was kind of a dream and something we were going to do,” Hendrick said. “Today, you just kind of officially pull the trigger for the rookie test. Seeing the Arrow McLaren guys working, the team, the preparation, everything has been very impressive. It’s really cool to be here.”
Larson is the fourth rookie to complete ROP in the October test as Marcus Armstrong, Linus Lundqvist and Tom Blomqvist all completed their program on the day prior.
