Rick Hendrick Discouraged by NASCAR’s Hesitation After Risky $3 Million Investment on Kyle Larson’s ‘Double’ Attempt (2024)

Will Kyle Larson muster the courage and attempt to complete the historic double next year? This was the first thought that might have run through the minds of the NASCAR community and motorsports fans. While Larson did compete in his debut run at the Indianapolis 500 race, he failed to start the Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte.

It wasn’t just Larson who was feeling bummed out about his failed attempt at the double, but the entire Hendrick Motorsports team. However, the team’s move to opt for the Indy 500 run over the points race at Charlotte wasn’t appreciated by NASCAR. And only after a week of consideration, and drama surrounding his eligibility to compete in playoffs, he got his waiver request approved.

Not only points and glory, but Rick Hendrick also took a critical hit of $3 million

According to a report by Sports Business Journal, Hendrick Motorsports spent over $3 million to enter the Indy 500 event. The team fielded their entry in partnership with McLaren Racing’s IndyCar team, with Hendrick Automotive Service serving as the team’s primary sponsor. The $3 million includes the cost of sponsorship, multiple test sessions, and some 80 team members, including guests and employees. Adding to this cost were also several private plane flights between Indianapolis and Charlotte.

To put this in perspective, a typical Indy 500 entry costs teams between $1 million – $1.5 million, so what HSM spent on Larson’s run was almost double. There were also reports that a documentary crew was filming the whole buildup to this mega event, which unfortunately didn’t have a fairytale ending. The amount of time, energy, and resources that went into this attempt is baffling, and to make matters worse, NASCAR decided to delay its decision to hand out a waiver to Larson.

So is the trouble worth it for Rick Hendrick if his driver again decides to plan to run the Indy 500 next year? Considering the unfortunate turn of events, which was further fueled by NASCAR’s decision, we could see Mr. H give a long and hard thought about yet another Indy 500 attempt. Although the financial losses were damaging to the organization, the possibility of seeing their star driver potentially miss out on a championship run due to suspension is a risky prospect. One that HMS would like to avoid while contemplating any such idea of competing in a different discipline away from NASCAR.

Kyle Larson and his #5 team have finally received a waiver that allows them to compete in the playoffs. But they have already borne the brunt of their ambitious run which didn’t turn out as planned, with a point deficit.

Larson has lost his commanding lead and crucial playoff points

Whenever a driver misses the start of the NASCAR points race, no points are awarded to the driver. Even if he replaces the backup driver midway through the race. Moreover, the Coca-Cola 600 being the longest race, has four stage runs, rather than the normal three. So more points were lost there. Not to forget, the driver, ahead of the Gateway race this weekend, wasn’t sure about his waiver decision. And to some extent, his frustration was visible on the racetrack with his aggressive style of racing, which ended Kyle Busch‘s run with a DNF finish. After being involved in a crash, however, he could only manage a P10 finish.

Making the most of this opportunity, his direct rival Denny Hamlin continued his streak of good finishes, toppling him from the number one spot in the standings. The regular season title is very important for drivers competing for championships, as the winner gets an additional 15 bonus playoff points. Those points do come in handy during the knock-out stages, acting as a cushion or fail-safe.

Looking at the next two fixtures, Larson will have a hard time staging a comeback run. Or, let’s say, getting back to winning ways. This weekend NASCAR heads to Sonoma for the road course race, whereas next week all the drivers will be in uncharted waters at Iowa Speedway. This will be the first Cup Series race at the intermediate track, along with a newly paved racing surface.