Kyle Larson breaks down Indy 500 rookie orientation test after passing

Kyle Larson has taken his first steps to the Indy 500. He has officially completed the rookie orientation program and is approved to race. The Double hasn’t been attempted since 2014 when Kurt Busch gave it a go. Larson will be racing 1100 miles in one day between IndyCar and NASCAR.

For Kyle Larson and his Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Motorsports team, this is a huge day. Everyone expected him to get through the test, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

After the test on the track, Larson answered questions from the media.

Matt Weaver with Sportsnaut shared a video on Twitter.

“I guess mostly what I anticipated in a way,” Kyle Larson said. “The speed and the grip didn’t feel, thankfully, scarier than what I thought it might. But there’s like how much the car wants to pull left and you have to kind of fight it back right down the straightaways, all of that was something I didn’t expect. The way the wheel was a lot lighter than the simulator but still a little heavier than maybe what I expected.

“Other than that I thought it went really smooth. I need, more the pit road side of things I’ll have to work more on. Just the steering is so slow you have to turn so far to get in and out. If you’re coming in around somebody if you’re leaving getting out around someone. Just getting used to the steering at a slower speed will be something to get used to. Then just maximizing the apron and braking for pit road, stuff like that I think is stuff I’ll have to really focus on and work on. That way we maximize our potential. Overall I think it was a great day.”

Kyle Larson's immediate takeaway from his first time driving an Indy car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway pic.twitter.com/6poDzoZbd5

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 12, 2023

Kyle Larson thanked his McLaren team for prepping him.

Kyle Larson gets through Indy 500 orientation

Next up is the testing sessions in April of 2024. Good news for the rookie, he’s going to have lots of testing and practice sessions to get very familiar with this car, his team, and all aspects of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson is going to be an interesting piece of this Indy 500 race next year. Tony Kanaan has been big on Larson and his driving talents. Kanaan is now an advisor with Arrow McLaren. He was more than happy to bring the 2021 NASCAR champion to his team.

Jeff Gluck of The Athletic shared a quote from Kanaan who also answered questions from media. He is a former IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner.

“Out of his generation, he’s the best I’ve seen,” Kanaan said. “He’s just one of the best race car drivers in the world right now and I’m very fortunate to get the chance to work with him.”

Tony Kanaan (who is now Arrow McLaren's sporting director) on Kyle Larson: "Out of his generation, he's the best I've seen. He's just one of the best race car drivers in the world right now and I'm very fortunate to get the chance to work with him."

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 12, 2023

A year from now we will know just how well Kyle Larson will do in his Double attempt. For now, we can speculate and get excited to see him try and outdo Tony Stewart’s 2001 performance when he finished both races for P6 at Indy and P3 in Charlotte.