Kyle Larson comes clean about Helio Castroneves' Daytona 500 debut: "I really don't think he's going to find it that challenging"

During his car's manufacturer team media day, a reporter asked Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson about his views on Helio Castroneves' debut at the Daytona 500. Larson mentioned that it will not be a challenging task for the IndyCar driver.

NASCAR has allowed "world-class" drivers to compete in the Cup Series event, and Castroneves is among them. Under the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP), drivers like Castroneves will be granted a spot in the Daytona 500 without a qualifying session. However, this will be allowed only if the driver has reached out to the governing body 90 days prior to the event.

During the team media day, the interviewer questioned Kyle Larson about the "biggest challenges" Helio Castroneves will face in his rookie year. The HMS driver gave a settling reply and said:

"I really don't think he's going to find it that challenging just because Daytona is Daytona. It's not hard to make a lap at Daytona. When you're in the draft, you're kind of just stuck in the draft. You're not making moves, getting your way to the front."

However, Larson opined that braking could prove challenging for Castroneves. The latter pointed out the difference in braking between the two series and claimed that IndyCar Series cars have much stronger brakes than the cars in NASCAR.

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"I wish it wasn't there": Kyle Larson on the new playoff waiver rule for the 2025 season

Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson recently appeared in an interview with FOX Sports analyst Bob Pockrass. He expressed his take on the governing body's new playoff waiver rule for the upcoming season.

The new rule states that drivers requiring a waiver for non-medical emergencies, including attending the birth of a child and dealing with family emergencies, will lose their earned playoff points. Further, the drivers will not earn new playoff points after the waiver is granted.

Here's what Larson said to Bob Pockrass regarding the same:

"I wish it wasn't there, but I think had that new rule been in place or not, I think our priorities probably look different for this coming Indy 500 and double attempt anyways, so it is what it is." (0:06 onwards)

The #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver added:

"I think it's tough because, in the moment, you just see red and black out. In a split second, you can make a bad decision and not really be thinking of the consequences of it immediately. Although, as soon as it's done, they're probably going to be regretting it because they know what's going to be coming. It's just hard. We're all competitive and have short fuses a lot of the time."

Kyle Larson attempted "The Double" of racing the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in the last season. However, due to bad weather conditions at the Indy 500, Larson missed the Coca-Cola 600 and received the waiver. Despite failing to succeed in "The Double" last year, he plans to attempt it again this season.