Endurance racing is back. Formula E opened its season in Mexico, and Andretti Autosport might be proving it is more than capable to operate a Formula One team after it won the season opener with Jake Dennis. The Dakar Rally concluded. Weather forced the postponement of the Supercross round in Oakland until February 18. Cyril Abiteboul became Hyundai Motorsport's new team principal for its rally program. Kevin Magnussen needs surgery. Jimmie Johnson has a new number and announced a new team name. The FIA World Endurance Championship has an impressive entire list. Turner Motorsport will toss a BMW into the GTD Pro battle royale at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Chili Bowl happened, and even without Kyle Larson there, Larson wound up being the story of the week. Here is a rundown of what got me thinking.
Larson's Long-Awaited Indianapolis 500 Attempt
A common wish among racing fans in recent seasons was Kyle Larson making an attempt at the Indianapolis 500, and last week that wish came true, or at least it was scheduled to come true, as Larson announced an entry for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 in partnership with McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports.
Patience will be necessary, but it is in the cards and we have something to look forward to in 2024, along with the introduction of a hybrid system.
A year is a long time to wait. It feels like this program could run in 2023, announced four months prior to the start of practice for this year's event, but 16 months should be plenty of time to prepare for this anticipated entry. It is hard to argue Larson is doing this wrong when he is giving himself so much time to prepare.
The exact details of what happens over the next year and a quarter will become clear over the next few months. It will be quiet for the next few months. This spring will see Larson focused on his NASCAR responsibilities while Tony Kanaan will be the fourth McLaren driver this year for Indianapolis joining full-timers Patricio O'Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi.
If this program is as intense as it is being sold as, I would expect Larson to spend at least one practice day, if not two, at the track this May embedded in the McLaren camp, sitting in on team meetings and wearing a headset when cars are on track. He may even show up whenever the pre-Indianapolis 500 test takes place and take it in from a pit stand.
From the sounds of it, this isn't going to be more than an Indianapolis 500 attempt. Larson isn't going to run an oval race in 2023 to get a taste of IndyCar before heading to Indianapolis next year. His first time will likely be in IndyCar's offseason. Timing could depend on how Larson's NASCAR season goes. A deep championship run could mean his first time in an IndyCar will not be until closer to Thanksgiving. A poor NASCAR season may mean seat time prior to Halloween. Larson still has a day job. As eager as everyone is for this Indianapolis entry, it will take a backseat in most scenarios, at least until May 2024.
Preparations will accelerate in 12 months. Come January 2024, we will know what the NASCAR and IndyCar schedules will look like, possibly when test sessions will be held, and Larson's schedule will take form. He will likely participate in a preseason test and if there is an Indianapolis test session prior to May. It is unlikely Larson would compete in a race. Texas is currently the only oval prior to Indianapolis, but it conflicts with a Cup race at Richmond in 2023. Events could move around. Accommodations could be made, and who knows? Maybe there will be a second oval prior to May.
We will hear about simulator time and footage studied ad nauseam over the next eight or nine months. It will sound like nothing is happening, but plenty is going on out of public view.
Ever since he was tearing up USAC, Larson has been a dream Indianapolis 500 entrant, though USAC hasn't been the talent pipeline to the 2.5-mile oval for over 40 years. The scholarship that saw Bryan Clauson get his first taste at Indianapolis, and turned Clauson into a regular one-off for a few seasons, sparked hope that Larson could follow down that path.
The scholarship never went to anyone other than Clauson, and Larson turned his attention to NASCAR, but a decade after Larson emerged as the next great thing, with a NASCAR Cup championship already claimed along with a Knoxville Nationals victory, a Kings Royal, a pair of Chili Bowl victories, a treble of Turkey Night Grand Prix triumphs and even a 24 Hours of Daytona victory, he will head to the Indianapolis 500 more than ready for the challenge.
Larson is not making this attempt to check off a box. When it occurs, he will be 31 years, nearly five years younger than Kurt Busch when Busch made his Double attempt in 2014. Robby Gordon did the Double five times, his first time was at age 28. His second was at 31 and then he made three consecutive runs from 2002 to 2004. Gordon was 35 when he made his final attempt. With Larson's regular racing regimen, he could have at least five cracks at it, possibly more. He could have an entire decade of Double attempts.
The Double has been a once-a-decade thing for a reason though. It is not convenient running two races at two tracks nearly 600 miles apart for a total of 1,100 miles of race action. One rainstorm and your day becomes a nightmare. And that is just assuming you get to race day. A driver needs to make the finances work out first before attempting such a challenge.
One attempt is in Larson's future. It is arguably the best Double attempt ever put together. In 2001, Tony Stewart completed 1,100 miles driving to a sixth in Indianapolis for Chip Ganassi Racing and a third in Charlotte for Joe Gibbs Racing, but Ganassi was only an Indianapolis one-off at that time, stepping over the line from CART to the IRL. In 2024, Larson will join what is at least a three-car McLaren team that is two years removed from having two of the top four finishers, and Larson will still be driving for the most successful team in NASCAR Cup Series history in Hendrick.
Winning both is difficult to fathom. Winning Indianapolis alone would create logistical hangups that would make arriving to Charlotte on time for the green flag almost unthinkable let alone winning the 600-mile nightcap. But completing 1,100 miles? If any driver in the world could become the second to accomplish it, Larson is the man.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Jake Dennis, but did you know...
Dakar Rally Winners
Bikes: Kevin Benavides came back from 12 seconds down entering the final stage to win the bike class by 43 seconds over Toby Price. American Skyler Howes was third in class, five minutes and four seconds back. This was Benavides' second Dakar victory in three years.
Quads: Alexandre Giroud won in the quad class for the second consecutive year by 43 minutes and 11 seconds over Francisco Moreno. American Pablo Copetti was third, nearly an hour and 53 minutes behind Giroud.
Cars: Nasser Al-Attiyah won the car class for the five time and in the second consecutive year, finishing one hour, 20 minutes and 49 seconds clear of Sébastien Loeb, who won seven of 14 stages this year. Brazilian Lucas Moraes was third, over an hour and 38 minutes behind Al-Attiyah.
Light Prototypes: American Austin Jones led an American 1-2, finishing 52 minutes and five seconds ahead of Seth Quintero. This is the second consecutive year Jones won a Dakar class. He won in SSV last year. Guillaume De Mévius was third in light prototypes, over an hour and 35 minutes back.
SSV: Eryk Goczał overcame a three-minute and 24-second deficit entering the final stage to win the SSV class by 16 minutes and 44 seconds over Rokas Baciuškas, who had led after the prior seven stages. Mark Goczał was 18 minutes and 15 seconds behind his brother in third.
Trucks: Janus van Kasteren won the truck class by over an hour and 14 minutes to Martin Macík in second. Martin van den Brink made it two Dutch drivers on the podium in third.
Logan Seavey won the 37th Chili Bowl.
The #7 Team WRT BMW of Dries Vanthoor, Jens Klingman, Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer, Diego Menchaca and Mohammed Saud Fahad Al Saud won the 18th Dubai 24 Hour.
Callum Hedge, James Penrose and David Morales split the Formula Regional Oceania races from Highlights Motorpsports Park
Coming Up This Weekend
Supercross returns to competition in San Diego.
The World Rally Championship season begins with Rallye Monte-Carlo.
IMSA has its Roar Before the 24 test.
Formula Regional Oceania will be at Teretonga Park.
