NASCAR Insider Publicly Refutes Kyle Larson’s Charlotte Defiance With Bold Championship Verdict

Kyle Larson has unfinished business. After an unsuccessful attempt at the ‘double’ earlier this year, the 32-year-old racing driver will try to compete at the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 once again in 2025. Larson was the fifth NASCAR driver in history to take a shot at the challenging feat, only for weather conditions to play spoilsport. Despite missing the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was given a waiver, keeping him in contention for the Cup Series title.

However, in a sport defined by fine margins, could missing out on the Coca-Cola 600 come back to haunt Kyle Larson? Would his season played out differently if he managed to compete in the 400-lap event? A prominent NASCAR Insider seems to think so.

Will Coke 600 be a season-defining moment for Kyle Larson?

Redemption. That’s what Kyle Larson was looking for after a delayed Indy 500 and weather-shortened Coca-Cola 600 affected his double attempt. The California native made up for his early season heartbreak by securing a victory at the 2024 Brickyard 400, the first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famed oval since 2020. He then went on to lock his place into the Round of Eight by securing his sixth victory of the ongoing Cup Series at the Charlotte Roval, cementing his place at the top of the driver standings.

However, according to Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass, Kyle Larson’s absence at Coca-Cola 600 may come back to haunt him in the future. He said, “You know, it potentially cost him the regular season championship, not being at Charlotte. Now he will point to other things, but certainly, if he had raced that race, he probably would have won the regular season championship. Will he need those five points going forward? He shouldn’t. But if he does, man. That just brings that story. He wants that story to go away, and that story keeps cropping up again and again and again.”

It’s fair to say that there is an element of truth in Bob Pockrass’ words, given the fact that only one point separated Kyle Larson from Tyler Reddick for the regular series championship at Darlington Raceway. While the Hendrick Motorsports driver has exceeded expectations with two dominant victories in the playoffs, in a sport defined by fine margins, a lot could change in the upcoming four races. Would missing out on five points come back to affect the 32-year-old racing driver’s title hopes? As things stand, it seems to be unlikely as 33 points separate him from the elimination cutline. However, stranger things have happened in NASCAR.

Kyle Larson could potentially secure a spot in the Championship 4 with a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The HMS driver won last year’s iteration of the 2023 South Point 400 and with momentum on his side, he will hope to replicate that performance this time around. The racing driver also secured wins at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville in the last two seasons, which means he will be quite confident going into the Round of Eight. Could he potentially lift the championship later this year? Time will tell. However, the recent form indicates that he should at least be in contention at Phoenix Raceway before the season ends.

Hendrick Motorsports to approach the double differently in 2025

Kyle Larson had a difficult choice to make at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When poor weather delayed the Indy 500 by several hours, the California native had to choose between competing at the IMS for the entirety of the race, or skipping the event and fulfilling his NASCAR commitments at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Rick Hendrick decided to let Larson complete the Indy race, where he finished 5th in qualifying, even if it came at the expense of the Coca-Cola 600. Larson had a better debut than he expected and was set to finish in the top ten, but a speeding penalty on the pit road forced him to settle for an 18th-place result.

However, Hendrick Motorsports will be taking a different approach for their double attempt in 2025. Sharing his views about the ambitious attempt, the team’s owner Rick Hendrick said, “We made that commitment, we’re going to be here at Charlotte. My commitment to NASCAR is that we’re in NASCAR and that’s where we run for the championship.” He went on to say, “I don’t want to go through that again (waiver). So that’s part of the decision: ‘Hey, if we’re going to do this, we’re not going to put (NASCAR) in a box.’ We’re not going to be late, we’re going to be here and run this race. That’s priority.”

As part of Kyle Larson’s second ‘double’ attempt, the team has assured NASCAR that they would prioritize the Coca-Cola 600 over the Indianapolis 500, even if that means pulling out of the event. Hendrick Motorsports doesn’t want to push its luck in 2025 by requesting another waiver, which brought about plenty of controversy with the sanctioning body being accused of giving preferential treatment. Will Larson fulfill his lifelong ambition and manage to run the double in 2025? Let us know in the comments!