Kyle Larson, the 2024 Brickyard 400 champion and defending NASCAR Cup Series titleholder, crashed during Stage 1 of Sunday’s crown-jewel race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (live on TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
On Lap 45, Larson blew a left-rear tire entering Turn 3, backing his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the outside wall. He was running second at the time after jumping toward the top of the pylon by pitting early at Lap 27. Larson was expected to take the lead after the green-flag pit cycle reached completion. Instead, he was scored 39th with just one point.
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“I had no warning,” Larson told reporters from the infield care center after being evaluated and released. “Right when I lifted, I felt it drop and then spun.
“It’s obviously disappointing. To go from 10th to the lead on a good start and then race strategy set us up to gain a lot of points there, and also set ourselves up well to maintain that track position the rest of the race. It’s a bummer, but that’s just part of racing.”
The DNF will mark Larson’s third finish in the last four races outside the top 30. He spun from the top five at Chicagoland Speedway on July 5 and fell two laps down, never recovering. At EchoPark Speedway, the two-time champion suffered damage in a late-race crash down the backstretch, then went spinning again in a separate incident. Last weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Larson suffered damage after contact with Connor Zilisch on pit road, but rallied to finish 15th.
Before his summer slide, Larson sat fifth in the series standings, but now faces another significant points hit with just four regular-season races remaining following Indy.
Larson has plenty of history at the famed 2.5-mile oval, including starts in the 2024 and 2025 Indianapolis 500.
This story will be updated.