Kyle Larson wins prize for fastest rookie in Indy 500 qualifying, vying for pole Sunday

Larson, a former NASCAR Cup Series champion, recorded an average four-lap speed of 232.563 during his first-ever Indy 500 qualifying run. It’s quite a development for the Hendrick Motorsports wheelman as he looks to bring his talent to a whole new world over the next couple of weeks.

Larson is one of 12 drivers who are still eligible for the pole. Six of them – Larson, Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward – race for either Penske or McLaren, via The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck. The other eligible drivers include Kyle Kirkwood, Felix Rosenqvist, Santino Ferrucci, Takuma Sato, Rinus VeeKay and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

As Larson looks to make history at the Indy 500, Jeff Gordon – Hendrick’s vice chairman who was in attendance for Saturday’s qualifying run – spoke at length about the history in Indianapolis and why it means so much to get the organization in the event.

“I feel like Indianapolis is what made me a fan of motorsports,” Gordon told Peacock. “As a kid, even in California, between Sprint Car racing and the Indianapolis 500, that’s what drew me in, and made me really want to be a race car driver. And I, as a kid, came here. So you know, I’ve been here before, a long time ago. I was able to drive the pace car here a few years back. And it is, it’s just special. When you live here in Indiana, you race around Indiana, it becomes that much more hallowed ground. 

“So yeah, that dream didn’t come true in an IndyCar, but it came true in the Brickyard 400, in a stock car. And this is another dream come true, getting Rick Hendrick, Kyle Larson and just all of Hendrick Motorsports involved in this amazing event. We hope we get qualified in, and we get to go and have a fun weekend next week.”

The 2024 Indianapolis 500 is set to run Sunday, May 26 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.