Gordon adamant Larson 'is going to be here' for start of Coke 600

Jeff Gordon is adamant that Kyle Larson will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the start of Sunday night’s Coca Cola 600.

“He is going to be here for driver introductions at 5:25pm – that’s the call,” Gordon said of the double attempt. “The call is that we know exactly how to back it up from there. What time he has to be leaving, taking off from Indianapolis, to get here. That’s all that matters.”

The call in 2024 was for Larson to stay in Indianapolis with Arrow McLaren and run the Indianapolis 500. The race was delayed due to rain and forced Larson to miss the start of the NASCAR Cup Series race. The same weather cell then moved over Charlotte Motor Speedway and ended one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events before Larson could get in the car and finish the race; he was standing in his pit box when the rain began.

Sunday, Larson starts 19th in his second Indianapolis 500. Weather Underground currently calls for a few showers and a 30 percent chance of rain at noon in Indianapolis, but the chance then decrease in the following hours. There is a 17 percent chance of rain in Concord, North Carolina, at 6 p.m. ET for the start of the Coca-Cola 600.

“At this point, we can’t predict red flags, caution flags, or anything else other than that time,” Gordon continued. “And that’s what is different this year from last year. Last year, as the rain started coming and the delays starting coming, it started being a factor of, 'OK, how do you take this opportunity from Kyle Larson and the team, everybody that has worked so hard for this one and only shot at racing in the Indy 500, especially now that the track is starting to dry, and it starting to clear up?'

“We took into account at that point, yes, he’s going to miss the start of the 600, but we still had the plan to get him here and get him in the car and finish the race. That’s what bit us, really, was that [cell] on both sides. That is just not the case this year.”

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Larson and Hendrick Motorsports stated in 2024 that their priority was NASCAR, but that changed on race day. NASCAR did grant Larson a playoff waiver to remain championship-eligible despite him missing a race.

However, in the offseason, NASCAR revised its waiver rule, stipulating that a driver who receives a waiver for anything other than a medical reason will forfeit their playoff points. In other words, it further forces the hands of drivers and teams to make NASCAR their priority, which is why Larson will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway, regardless of how Sunday's race in Indianapolis plays out.

On the open-wheel side, if Larson does have to leave before the start of the Indianapolis 500, then Tony Kanaan will be permitted to drive the car. Kanaan went through a refresher course earlier this week. He will not be able to get in the car if the decision is made that Larson needs to leave before the race is complete.

Gordon still doesn’t want to think about the weather or what could again ruin the double attempt.

“Last year, it was just slightly different,” Gordon said. “I say that because we were going into it with [the thinking] this is probably the one and only time we’re going to this, this is Kyle’s first time, this is Rick Hendrick’s first time, and so it was not as easy and clearcut of a decision as to when we leave Indianapolis. That is not the case this time. Our goal is driver introductions, which I think is 5:25 p.m. That is the goal to make.

“It’s a tight window, regardless. I wouldn’t mind seeing Indianapolis start a little earlier and Charlotte start a little later. It’s a very tight window but we have a concrete plan in place. Looking at weather, other than wanting it to go smooth and wanting it to be a full race and a great day and start the day off right, I’m trying not to pay too much attention to the weather until maybe tomorrow morning.”