Kyle Larson hopes not to 'upset' IndyCar drivers at the Indy 500

Kyle Larson has expressed his worry about possibly upsetting IndyCar drivers at the Indy 500. The NASCAR champ highlights how he is yet to learn one aspect of pack racing for the Greatest Spectacle of Racing.

The 109th running of the Indy 500 will be Larson's second and potentially last time competing in the fabled IndyCar race. On day one of the Indy 500 open test on April 23, he was the 11th-fastest driver with a speed of 223.430 mph. In a press conference later, the 33-year-old was asked about how he maneuvered his way around the different racing tendencies of his rivals, with him having competed in many racing categories.

Specifically addressing his IndyCar experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson said:

"I think the thing that I'm still trying to get used to when I'm out there is I don't know what the common courtesy is as far as your little things like blending onto the racetrack if you're trying to get into a pack and all that sort of thing. So I hope I'm not making people upset when I'm out there like trying to blend in and going slow. I just don't really know what to do."

The Arrow McLaren driver also spoke about his NASCAR experience to give a reference, adding:

"Where I'm coming from, NASCAR, it seems a little different, and how you like blend into a pack. So just trying to figure that out."

Larson crashed in the morning qualifying simulation session on day two of the open testing. He suffered understeer on his No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevy and went into the wall.

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Kyle Larson reveals what caused his crash at the Indy 500 test after closer inspection

Kyle Larson at the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Carb Day - Source: Getty

Kyle Larson's crash at the IMS damaged his car enough to end his test day in the morning. The Arrow McLaren squad couldn't proceed with the run plans after that, and he left the circuit by noon. Fortunately, he wasn't hurt.

Before leaving for home, he closely inspected what caused the understeer going into Turn 1. While Larson admitted that his teammates encountered understeer during the test as well, his was exaggerated before the crash. On the Pit Pass Indy podcast, he explained his ordeal, saying [8:04 onwards]:

"But after, you're looking at it and thinking about it more, they run this like DRS weight jacker thing. I hit the button to engage it, disengage it, whatever you wanna call it, off in Turn 4, and then I forgot to hit the button to reset it before turning into Turn 1. So no surprise that I had the understeer that I had. So that makes me more bummed that I was a big part of the mistake."

When the weight jackers on the car are retracted, it can reduce oversteer or induce some understeer. Kyle Larson seemingly forgot to change the setting coming out of Turn 4, causing the understeer entering Turn 1, and thus, the crash.

On his debut Indy 500 in 2024, the Hendrick Motorsports driver started fifth on the grid and finished in P18 as a result of engaging the wrong gear during a restart and getting a drive-through penalty for speeding on pit road.