Nascar’s Kyle Busch And Kyle Larson And Their Quest To Race In The Indianapolis 500

Nascar Cup Series champions Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson have long expressed their desire to race in the Indianapolis 500. Busch even put that desire in his new contract with Richard Childress Racing that begins next season.

And just last week before Nascar’s BankofAmerica Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson said he was given permission from team owner Rick Hendrick and Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon to pursue a ride in the Indianapolis 500 “in the future.” That’s the first time either have given permission to Larson, who won the NASCAR Cup Series championships in 2021 and has a strong following from sprint car and other forms of open wheel racing.

“Nothing has changed; I would love to do it, it’s timing and I want to be in the best equipment possible,” Larson said. “I mentioned to Rick and Jeff that I would like to do it and it’s up to them to find something.

“Rick didn’t want me to do the double this year but said in the future that I could.”

As for Busch, there is even a sponsor ready to help fund his effort as John Menard, owner of the Menard’s home improvement chain of stores, told me.

“We would like to do it, but there are lots of problems to work out,” Menard told me. “I have no idea what is going to happen.

“If we do anything, we are going to be a sponsor. We aren’t going to own the team or anything to do with that.

“We have a certain amount of money that is set aside for it. If it happens; it happens. If it doesn’t; it doesn’t.

“If somebody wants to do something, we are interested as a sponsor. You can’t afford to spend just anything.

“I think it would be great for the fans and it would be great for Kyle. The sport would really enjoy that. I would enjoy it and I want to be right there if he does it.”

For either driver to realize their Indy 500 dreams, they have to find a Chevrolet team in the NTT IndyCar Series that can commit to the effort.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown owns the Chevrolet-powered Arrow McLaren SP team in IndyCar and revealed two weeks ago that he plans on entering a fourth car in the 107^th Indianapolis 500 in 2023.

Although he is intrigued at the possibility of Busch in the Indy 500, Brown prefers an experienced driver that can help his three regular drivers including Pato O’Ward of Mexico, Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden, and California’s Alexander Rossi at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That would favor the likes of former Indy 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Kanaan or Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Also, Brown wants to maintain McLaren’s famed “Papaya” colored livery consistent with the company’s brand. For John Menard, it would have to be either the fluorescent yellow or green paint schemes that are recognizable as the Menard’s brand.

“If we do anything, it has to be the Menard’s car or there is no point in sponsoring it,” Menard said. “I don’t know how big of a splash it would be, it would depend on how well we did, but it would certainly be interesting.”

Menard’s sponsors the Arca Series and also helps sponsor TeamTISI
Penske Nascar Cup Series driver Austin Cindric, this year’s Daytona 500 winner.

It would seem a natural for either Kyle to strike an Indy 500 deal with Team Penske.

That’s not going to happen.

Team President Tim Cindric told me before last Sunday’s Nascar race at Charlotte Motor Speedway that the team will not field a fourth car for any race next year, including the Indianapolis 500. With the team creating the Porsche Penske Motorsports team that will race the new Porsche 963 in both the FIA World Endurance Challenge and the Imsa WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

“We have no plans to run a fourth Indy car next year,” Cindric told me and Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press. “You can eliminate us from all those possibilities and discussions. We’ve got too much going on.

“For us, we are going to stay focused on the three drivers that we have and stay focused on our attempt at getting ready for LeMans.”

Team Penske’s IndyCar lineup includes 2022 NTT IndyCar Series champion Will Power, two-time IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden, and impressive New Zealander Scott McLaughlin, a former Australia Supercars champion.

“That’s not to say we won’t ever do it,” Cindric said. “We’ve liked running at extra car there if we can put together what we believe can be a winning effort. We don’t want to delete anything from the other three drivers. The extra car, we look at it as having a possibility of winning and doing it with people we have in house.

“If something meets all that criteria, then we will look at it. And quite honestly, our last three years at Indy have not been our best. Anything that would dilute or distract that is also something you would consider.

“I can’t look anybody in the eye and say, ‘We would give you a fair shot to win. If you are looking for an adventure, there are a lot of ways to look for an adventure.’

“When they come to our place, I want to give them an honest shot to win.

“All of our cars should have an honest shot at the front.”

Cindric confirmed he has had discussions with John Menard and told him the team can’t do it for Kyle Busch or any other driver wanting to run the Indy 500.

With Team Penske saying no, and if a deal can’t be reached with Arrow McLaren SP, the other Chevrolet teams left in IndyCar include Ed Carpenter Racing, AJ Foyt Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing. Part-time teams include Dryer & Reinbold Racing, Paretta Autosport and DragonSpeed/Cusick Motorsports.

“Honestly, I don’t see how we do it with people and cars, I don’t think it’s physically possible unless it’s a huge influx of cash,” ECR driver Conor Daly told me. “If you put Kyle Busch out there, you want to give him a shot to win because it’s Kyle Busch. That is the hardest part right now.

“I know that Ed would not want to de-strengthen the three cars that he has already.

“It’s equipment, people and who has the entries. Bring them on. I would love to see them all in the 500. I would love to see Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch. I think both would be really, really good.

“It’s an exciting thing to think about and think it will happen, just don’t know when.”