During a press conference ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend, Joey Logano was asked about his thoughts on Kyle Larson running in the Indy 500. Logano claimed he wishes Larson doesn't come first, or second or even third in the race.
This is because Logano is a Team Penske driver, and Larson, while he is representing NASCAR in the Indy 500, is going to be directly competing against three Penske drivers - Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin.
Because of this, Logano claimed, he doesn't want Larson to finish ahead of drivers who are essentially his teammates. Having said that, Logano gave credit where credit is due to Kyle Larson and what he has already achieved in the buildup to his first Indy 500 run.
"Honestly, I hope he finishes fourth. I really do. I can say that, right? That would be awesome. Obviously, I want a Penske car to win. Those are my guys. This is our team. But I want Kyle Larson to do good, and he already has," Logano said. [24:30]
Joey Logano believes Kyle Larson has already proven his Indy 500 run to be a success
Speaking about his NASCAR rival Kyle Larson, the #22 driver claimed that no matter what the result of the race on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson has already been "pretty impressive."
Larson has displayed high speeds and control of the single-seater right from his rookie orientation programmes, through his practice sessions, all the way into the qualifying sessions.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver was so prolific in that racecar despite little time for preparation that he is all set to start in 5th position at the Indy 500, a result that has earned much praise from across NASCAR and IndyCar.
Because of all of this, Logano believes what Larson is doing isn't something that many drivers can do.
"He’s just got a ton of natural talent that he can just jump in and do this type of stuff. I think it’s awesome he’s doing it. Don’t get me wrong with what I said earlier. What he’s doing is awesome, really, really cool. It’s great for motorsports in general. I think it’s just as good for NASCAR as it is for IndyCar to have him there, so I think for motorsports it’s great," Logano said. [25:02]
The 2x Cup champion claimed that Larson running in the Indy 500 and following that up with the Coca-Cola 600 is "a huge storyline", something that has everyone talking, and something he is hoping works out.
But even if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, be it weather, be it anything else, Joey Logano believes Kyle Larson has already done enough to "call it a success."