May is just around the corner, and with it comes the chance for Arrow McLaren to finally taste victory at the Indianapolis 500. The team has come narrowly close to winning the race each of the last few years, and while those races have ended in heartbreak, those results just fuel the team to work even harder. This year offers the chance to write a new chapter in the history of McLaren Racing and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. 

Among those is the story of Kyle Larson and his second attempt at “The Double.” Kyle competed in his first Indianapolis 500 last year and was named the Rookie of the Year after qualifying fourth and finishing 11th. However, the inclement weather forced him to miss the Coca-Cola 600 and thwarted his attempt to complete all 1,100 miles. With last year’s experience to draw on, Kyle now looks to complete “The Double” and race for wins.  

That journey for Kyle starts again tomorrow at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Open Test, a two-day test on the famous oval. Kyle sat down with us to talk about everything Indy 500 before had jumping into the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for the first time in 2025. 

Looking back at last year’s Indianapolis 500, how would you describe the buildup to Qualifying? 

In the leadup to Qualifying, I remember everyone around me being really stressed out about it. I wasn’t too stressed, but I was nervous about what to expect because you have all these flashbacks of people crashing in Qualifying, or guys like Fernando [Alonso] not making the race, having an issue with the car or whatever. So, I was hopeful of not having any of that.  

You make enough practice runs that you have a decent idea of what four laps feels like. I think our car was in a spot where I wasn’t too nervous of anything going wrong, but then midway through our first run we had the power shut off, so that wasn’t good. That meant we had to go later in the day when the conditions would be worse, and if we have another problem, then you have the risk of not qualifying or having to qualify the next day. With the way my schedule was set up I was like, “Damn, this is going to complicate things.” 

The run we got in was good. I remember being fairly calm for it, and my car was in a good spot. I didn’t have to do much outside of staying with the adjustments the team wanted me to make on the wheel and try to hit my marks. 

Thinking back on the Indianapolis 500 when you were growing up. What did that race mean to you, and what memories do you have as a kid watching it? 

I actually don’t have a ton of memories of watching it on TV. I feel like most of the time we were driving to racetracks, so we would be listening to the race on the radio because there was no live streaming back then.  

My first real experience of the Indy 500 was 2013, when Tony Kanaan won and I got to go as a guest of Chip Ganassi. It was just really, really cool getting to walk down Gasoline Alley. I remember standing on pit wall, looking down the straightaway at the thousands of people there and I was just like, “Man, I’ve never been to an event like this before.” I always knew the Indy 500 was the biggest racing event in the world, but that day kind of proved to me how much bigger it is than any other event. That was cool to experience, so then to come back over 10 years later as a driver was pretty neat. 

What was your favorite moment of last year’s Indy 500 experience? 

I would say the first day of Qualifying was really cool just with all the hype and pressure and people that are there. I didn’t expect our car to qualify that well to make the next day. I would say those two days were the highlight of my two weeks, along with the people and the atmosphere. I mean, there were more people there for Qualifying than I typically see at a race weekend, so that was cool. Then getting done with my run on Sunday, helicoptering out before qualifying was even over and watching Scott McLaughlin make his run at the pole was pretty cool.  

How would you describe the Indy 500 to someone who has never been? 

Well, there’s plenty of ways to experience it. You can be a race fan in the stands watching or the raging fan in the Snake Pit and not even know there’s a race going on. It’s a unique event; there are 350,000 people there. It’s hard to describe because I’m in the driver’s seat and I’m not outside the walls to watch the race. You just have to go there to see for yourself. I’ve been to The Masters and other big events, and nothing comes close to the Indy 500. 

What’s your biggest motivation for your second attempt at the H1100?  

My biggest motivation for doing it again is to actually complete the 1,100 miles. I just think it’s a cool feat. There haven’t been many people that have attempted it. We somewhat got to attempt it last year, but we didn’t get to run the second half of it, so I want to complete all the laps. 

I love racing and trying to challenge myself, and I think 1,100 miles in the same day is as challenging as it gets for a race car driver. And I think we’ll have two opportunities to get a good finish. I think had I not sped on pit lane in the Indy 500 last year, I think we would’ve finished in the top eight, which is great, though obviously you want to win. For the Coca-Cola 600, we easily could’ve gone and won that. When we got there with 150 laps left, I still felt like we could win that race, so it was a bummer to not get out there. That’s why I want to do it again. 

What would it mean to add “Indianapolis 500 Champion” to your resume? 

It would be unreal. Sure, I wouldn’t be out there if I didn’t think I could do it, but gosh, I don’t even know. That would take your status to a completely different level. I don’t think you can imagine what it might do for your career. It takes you from a popular race car driver to potentially a celebrity because of how big the Indy 500 is. Anyone who pays attention to racing or even sports pays attention to this. For a guy who doesn’t race in this series full time, it would be unreal.