"Kyle Larson won't settle for anything less than a win" - New Mclaren boss sets crystal clear goal for NASCAR champ's second Indy 500

Kyle Larson will line up in the 33-car grid at the 109th Indianapolis 500 on May 25 this year and rush to the Coca-Cola 600 in the evening as part of his second attempt at completing The Double. Tony Kanaan, the new Team Principal of Arrow McLaren, the team that will field him at the Indy 500 in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports, has laid out a clear goal for the NASCAR champ.

Larson's first attempt at completing The Double in 2024 was washed out by torrential weather. Heavy rains delayed the 108th Indy 500's start time by four hours and foiled the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion's attempt at matching Tony Stewart's feat. When he completed the prestigious IndyCar race and reached Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600, the unrelenting rains forced a premature conclusion for the NASCAR race without him getting to race even one lap.

Addressing the expectations of Kyle Larson's second attempt at the Indy 500, Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan said on the Pit Pass Indy podcast [7:26 onwards]:

"I think we've set the bar really high. Kyle won't settle for anything less than a win, and neither do we. So our job is to give him as fast of a car or faster than we did last year. And with a year under his belt, you know, for him to have a little bit more experience. But he's extremely talented, and the expectation is to put him in a position to win."

Kyle Larson finished P18 at the 2024 Indy 500 after a gear change mistake cost him 10 positions and a pit-road speeding penalty put the final nail in the coffin of the underwhelming debut.

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Kyle Larson has "unfinished business" to take care of during his second attempt at 'The Double'

Kyle Larson at the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Kyle Larson was heartbroken after his first attempt at The Double failed miserably. In an Instagram post on May 27, 2024, a day after the unfortunate events unfolded, he poured his heart out. An excerpt from the caption to his post read:

"What I thought could be one of the best days of my life quickly turned into one of the most disappointing ones I’ve ever experienced."

In September last year, after a lot of consideration, Kyle Larson decided to go ahead with a second attempt at The Double in 2025. In Arrow McLaren's official announcement on 10th September, he said:

"I really enjoyed the month of May in Indy and racing with Arrow McLaren, but I was really disappointed with missing the Coca-Cola 600 with the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team. I appreciate the second opportunity because we have unfinished business. I really want to complete all 1100 miles, and I think we have the opportunity to battle for the win in both events."

All 33 spots for this year's Indy 500 have been locked out. However, there are rumors about two more drivers looking for a spot to win the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing" - two-time winner Takuma Sato and Katherine Legge.

Larson's biggest challenge will be overcoming Team Penske's Josef Newgarden, who has won the last two runnings of the race with incredible final-lap passes.