Kyle Larson will not complete all 1,100 miles of racing on Sunday as intended.
Due to a four-hour rain delay at the Indianapolis 500, the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion will miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte (scheduled to begin at 6:22 p.m. ET). The Indy 500 went green at 4:46 p.m. ET and typically lasts three hours.
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Justin Allgaier will start the No. 5 car in Charlotte while Larson finishes the race in Indy. The plan is for Larson to leave immediately after the Indy 500 and replace Allgaier whenever he arrives at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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Larson, 31, was attempting to become just the second driver to complete all 500 miles in Indianapolis and 600 miles in Charlotte on the same day (Tony Stewart was the first in 1999). Four drivers have competed in both races on the same day -- John Andretti (1994), Robby Gordon (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004), Stewart (1999, 2001) and Kurt Busch (2014). Gordon had a similar predicament as Larson in 2000, when the Indy 500 was rain-delayed and he missed the beginning of the Coke 600 before joining mid-race like Larson plans to do.
As of result of missing the start of the Coke 600, Larson will not score any points in that race -- even if he is able to take over for Allgaier midway through the event. He entered this weekend leading the NASCAR Cup Series points standings with two wins on the season, but that lead could be gone with no points being scored in Charlotte.
Larson will also have to apply for a waiver to be eligible for the NASCAR playoffs. The rulebook states that, in order to be playoff-eligible, a driver must start all 26 regular-season races. Waivers have been granted in the past for drivers due to injuries or suspensions, so it's more than likely that Larson will be no different in this circumstance.
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Driving for Arrow McLaren at the Indy 500, Larson qualified fifth for his first IndyCar race.
Allgaier, meanwhile, will have to drop to the rear of the field prior to the start of the Coke 600. The 37-year-old driver has 81 career Cup starts and 24 wins in the second-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series.
