(Jared C. Tilton via Getty Images)
Kyle Larson spun less than 50 laps into the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday.
Larson spun out while leading the race on lap 43. He slid through the infield at Charlotte Motor Speedway just a few laps after he hit the wall while running the high line.
Larson was able to continue after the spin but his chances of a win disappeared for good following a crash in the third stage. Larson got caught up in a crash shortly after a restart when a sliding Daniel Suarez clipped him as he tried to skirt the wreck ahead.
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The damage to Larson’s car caused his Hendrick Motorsports team to take it to the garage.
The 2021 Cup Series champion arrived in Charlotte with plenty of time to spare after running in the Indianapolis 500. Larson became the fifth driver to run in both races on the same day when he took the green flag for the NASCAR race and was looking to join Tony Stewart as the only driver to run all 600 laps and 1,100 miles in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.
That latter goal was squashed less than halfway through the Indy 500 earlier in the day. Larson got to Charlotte so comfortably because he crashed out of the 500 on lap 92 when his car spun after he downshifted between Turns 1 and 2 after a restart. Larson was officially credited with a 27th-place finish after climbing from his car.
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Larson qualified second for the 600 and got to keep his starting position after NASCAR gave him an exemption that none of the four previous double drivers received. NASCAR previously mandated that John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch had to start at the back of the field for missing the drivers’ meeting before the race. Larson got an exemption on Saturday that allowed him to start on the front row and be in the lead when his crash happened.
Larson tried to run the double a year ago but a rain-delayed 500 made that impossible. By the time he got to Charlotte for the 600, the race was already past halfway and also postponed for rain. It was officially called before Larson had a chance to get into the car.
Sunday’s Indy 500 was delayed less than an hour for rain and put Larson on a tight timeline to get to Charlotte if he had been able to run all 500 miles. However, the crash made his travel plans easier even if it ruined his race.
