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NASCAR insiders react to 'unfortunate' Kyle Larson Indy 500, Coke 600 Double attempt

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•05/26/25•

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Kyle Larson (21)
May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; IndyCar series driver Kyle Larson (17) during the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Two NASCAR insiders broke down Kyle Larson‘s attempt to compete in the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on Sunday. On The Teardown podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic explained what went wrong for Larson, who had tough outings in both races.

“I feel bad for him. I really do,” Bianchi said. “There was all this buildup and all this attention. It was like last year, because of Mother Nature, you ruined it. And it’s like, okay, here you go. You get a second crack at this, and it just went bad. It went bad because he made mistakes. It wasn’t like he was a victim of circumstance or anything like that. He had a bad day at the office across the board.”

Gluck agreed with Bianchi and explained what happened to Kyle Larson at the Indy 500. First, Larson stalled on pit road, which caused him to be placed at the back of the field. Larson then crashed, which led to him not finishing the race.

Kyle Larson says attempting the Indy 500 and Coke 600 double is ‘tough’

“Really unfortunate in terms of the Indy 500 stuff,” Gluck said. “…Last year, from qualifying fifth to all the hype he had, this year, he was so much more under the radar. It felt like he had a better feel for the car, and yet ultimately he crashes three times. He crashed in testing, he crashed in practice and he crashed in the race. It just didn’t go well at all. I’m sure really frustrating, super disappointing considering all they put into it.”

After the Indy 500, Larson traveled to Charlotte for the Coke 600. He started the race in second, but early wall contact prevented him from taking a commanding lead. He was then involved in another accident later in the race and could not finish.

“The Double is just a tough undertaking,” a dejected Larson said after he was checked and released from the infield care center at Charlotte, per NASCAR.com. “I think the window of time is too tight. Even if I didn’t wreck (at Indy), I don’t think I would have made it here in time and probably would have had to end that race short anyway.”