Michael McDowell references Kyle Larson’s Indy 500 scenario for his NASCAR approval process take

Michael McDowell elaborated upon the NASCAR Cup Series' rigorous approval process and drew comparisons to Kyle Larson's Indy 500 scenario. The No. 71 driver posed a dilemma in the stringent process of potentially hindering international talents from stepping their foot in the stock car racing scene.

McDowell debuted with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2008 and recalled how he had signed the Cup Series deal even before making his debut in the junior categories. However, this pushed the Arizona-born driver into a strange position as he had a deal to race in the top class of stock car racing.

To conform with the regulations, Michael McDowell took over the latter end of the 2007 season and the start of the 2008 season, driving Xfinity Series and Truck Series cars. Moreover, he admitted it was a long process for a new driver or revered driver to get into the NASCAR racing realm and how IndyCar had supposedly done a better job with Kyle Larson, as he said:

"So I had to run a truck race at Martinsville to be approved to run an Xfinity car... at a bigger track, and I think I ran Phoenix in the Xfinity car. And then I ran Texas in the Xfinity car, and before I could run the cup car at any of those other tracks, I had to run Daytona in an Xfinity car.

"Helio [Castroneves] is a world-class racecar driver, and he should be approved... Now, does that mean he has a ton of experience in our cars and is prepared for every single situation... No, but neither was Kyle Larson at the Indy 500."

The 32-year-old aimed to take up the double duty last year but had to leave out the Coca-Cola 600 due to rain delaying the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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How did Kyle Larson's Indy 500 debut pan out?

Kyle Larson at the IndyCar: Indianapolis 500 - Source: USA Today

The Hendrick Motorsports driver had expressed his intentions of running the Indy 500 early last year. Moreover, this dream materialized with Arrow McLaren's support for the Cup Series champion to join the Indy 500 grid.

Kyle Larson started the race in fifth and was leading the race in the final leg. However, he had to peel into the pits with 17 laps remaining for his final pitstop, leading him to finish a disappointing 18th on his debut.

Despite this, Larson is full of excitement for this year's race and intends to do double-duty during the 2025 Indy 500, as he said via IndyCar:

“I look forward to reliving it and having everything go smoothly this year, which everything did go great this year minus the final 10 percent of the experience. I just look forward to it. I’m grateful, for sure, for the opportunity, and I hope to make everybody proud in both races."

The 32-year-old stands 11th in the interim Cup Series standings after four rounds of racing.