NASCAR champion Kyle Larson turned his first laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway behind the wheel of an IndyCar on Thursday in preparation for his Indy 500 run in May.

He climbed into the cockpit of the Arrow McLaren Chevy in the morning hours, and with officials and media watching on, effortlessly piloted the car to speeds he had not experienced before in his career.

Following on from yesterday’s trio of rookies completing their own orientation, Larson was able to follow the prescribed schedule without any issues.

He completed 10 laps each at 205 MPH and 210 MPH, then completed 15 laps above 215 MPH and was given approval from IndyCar to compete in this year’s upcoming Indianapolis 500.

Larson turned 72 laps in total, including installation laps, with his fastest circuit of the famous oval clocking in at 217.898 MPH.

Jeff Gordon, Rick Hendrick, and Tony Kanaan were all on hand to provide support for Larson’s first laps for the joint project between Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren.

Talking after the runs, the 31-year-old described how the experience was mostly what he expected and that his preparation made it easier to get up to speed.

“Yeah, it was fun,” said Larson. “It was mostly what I anticipated, in a way. The speed and the grip didn’t feel, thankfully, scarier than what I thought it might.

“Just how much the car wants to pull left and you have to fight it back to the right down the straightaways was something I didn’t expect. The way the wheel was a lot lighter than the simulator but still a little heavier than what I expected.

“Other than that, I thought it went really smooth. The pit road side of things is where 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 around somebody. Getting used to the steering at the slower speeds will be something to get used to.

“Then just maximizing the apron, braking for pit road, stuff like that I think is stuff I’ll have to really focus on and work on. That way we’re maximizing potential.

“Overall, it was a great day. I felt like everyone at McLaren did a really good job of prepping me to make things easier to get up to speed. So thanks to everybody there. Glad to be through the day, and look forward to the open test in April.”

Larson plans to be the first driver since Kurt Busch in 2014 to attempt The Double, meaning he will run both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in the same day and will race for 1,100 miles if he finishes both.

Only four drivers have ever competed in both events in the same year, with Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon each completing the impressive feat multiple times between 1997 and 2004.

A lot of eyes will be on Larson in the coming months as he gears up to add his name to the list of drivers to have taken on the unique challenge.

Marcus Armstrong was one of three drivers that completed his Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Program on Wednesday, and he labeled the experience as ‘special.’

He took to the famous 2.5-mile oval at nearly 220 MPH in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, running 93 laps and earning the approval of IndyCar officials to compete in next year’s Indy 500 with no restrictions.

Speaking after nearly four hours of on-track time, Armstrong described the feeling of racing around the banking at one of the most famous race tracks in the world.

“Yeah, it was special, honestly,” said Armstrong after his runs. “I didn’t know what to expect in many ways coming here. I’ve obviously done a few laps around Texas before. So having not a lot of oval experience, coming here, it’s not easy.

“It’s very high speeds, a lot of nuances to this track, a lot of details. So if I’m honest, I wasn’t nervous about doing it. It was more so just about trying to get the first run out of the way so we know what to do better next time.

“But, yeah, to drive on this circuit at proper speeds after phase three, I would say still it’s a long way off quali speed, but it was incredible, you know.

“I have watched this place since I was a kid. So to drive around here in anger at flat-out is pretty crazy. It’s pretty special.

“But I don’t really want to think about that when I’m driving because that’s never a good thing. I can reflect on it now, but when I was in the moment, it was quite smooth sailing,

“Not a lot of nerves, to be honest. But it was good to get this Rookie Orientation out of the way so we can sort of crack on when it all kicks off next year.

“It met my expectations, with honors, so it was a lot of fun. I must say it was perfect conditions. No wind, cold, and obviously our car was pretty rock solid today. So it wasn’t difficult circumstances. But yeah, I loved it.”

Armstrong rose through the European ladder system, including a three year stint in F2, and has had no prior oval racing experience.

He plans to contest the full IndyCar season next year, which means he will need to familiarize himself with the varied disciplines that the American open wheel series demands.

Armstrong officially completed his orientation in the morning session on Wednesday, and went back on track in the afternoon to complete more running at full speed.

The 23-year-old was happy to have the extra practice time available, and soaked up as much knowledge as he could in the time he had available.

“Yeah, [running again in the afternoon] was ideal, really,” continued Armstrong. “When they told us that we could do a few more laps after we finished the three phases.

“Obviously we’re fairly limited on tires, but it was enough to do quite a decent run. I think we got — yeah, we got quite a few laps in. I think the more laps the better. Especially when you haven’t driven here.

“Even if we are circulating at just flat out, every lap you are learning something.”

The first official practice sessions for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 will take place the week of May 13, with the race itself scheduled for May 26.

Three IndyCar rookies took to the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval for the first time on Wednesday, turning high speed laps on the banking.

Linus Lundqvist, Marcus Armstrong, and Tom Blomqvist all participated, with Chip Ganassi Racing and Meyer Shank Racing providing the machinery and support.

The Rookie Orientation Program is required for first-time participants in the Indianapolis 500, and is designed to give drivers a chance to get used to the high speeds and unique challenges.

Each driver completed 10 laps between 205 and 210 MPH, then 10 more laps between 210 and 215 MPH, then was released to run above 215 MPH to complete the certification process.

IndyCar officials watched on during the entire session, and gave their approval of each drivers’ capabilities at each stage.

All three drivers completed their orientation before the lunch break, and now have permission to compete in the Indianapolis 500 proceedings next May.

Lundqvist was the first to complete his program, running 54 laps despite his car coming to a stop on track 90 minutes into the morning session.

The issue was quickly resolved, however, and he continued on his way shortly after his car was towed back to pit lane.

His fastest lap of the two hour morning session was the fastest of all three drivers, and was completed at an average pace of 219.504 MPH.

“What a place this is!” said Lundqvist after his runs. “So many times you’ve been here as a fan, as a bystander watching everyone else race. Now to be able to drive it myself, it’s incredible. It’s so fast.

“The history and legacy of this place, it feels surreal, honestly, driving it. It was actually my first time ever in a Chip Ganassi Racing car as well, so kind of double happiness for me this morning.

“We have a lunch break, going to go back out this afternoon again to learn a little bit more. It’s going to take a long time for this smile to fade off my face.”

All three drivers will complete more laps in the afternoon, and will use their three allocated sets of Firestone tires to get as much practice in as they can.

Kyle Larson will be on track on Thursday to run through his own orientation program, and then the 2.5-mile speedway will be dedicated to testing of IndyCar’s new hybrid engine package for the remainder of the week.

This past May, on his 12th attempt, Josef Newgarden was able to claim victory at the Indianapolis 500, accomplishing one of his biggest goals as a professional racer.

The popular Team Penske driver ran into the stands after crossing the line less than one tenth of a second ahead of the previous year’s winner Marcus Ericsson, and celebrated his victory among some of the 300,000 fans in attendance.

Newgarden has been taking part of all the traditions and interviews that come with being the newest Indy 500 winner, and also gets the honor of having his likeness attached to one of the most famous trophies in all of sport.

The 32-year-old was in North Carolina this week to get his first look at the newly-created sculpture of his face, which will be placed on the Borg-Warner Trophy along with his name and average speed.

“Starting today with Borg-Warner and just meeting this guy,” said Newgarden on social media, referencing the model of himself. “Super cool to see Will Behrends’ studio and be a part of this process for the Indy 500 trophy!”

Behrends is the long-time sculptor of the faces for the Borg-Warner Trophy, having created the likeness of every Indy 500 winner since 1990.

The artist is in the midst of finalizing the details for his 34th work of art, which will later be scaled down and added to the famous trophy, and was able to get the subject’s own seal of approval when Newgarden stopped by his studio.

Newgarden’s likeness will be cast in silver before it is affixed to the base of the 110-pound trophy alongside a century’s worth of other winners of the great race.

This upcoming May, the two-time series champion will get a chance to add ‘two-time Indy 500 champion’ to his list of accomplishments when he competes in the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, 2024.

On Sunday, Arrow McLaren took the wraps off the livery for Kyle Larson’s Indianapolis 500 attempt with the team next season.

The design was uncovered at an event held at the speedway itself, with fans present for the afternoon’s NASCAR race able to watch on.

The papaya and blue scheme brings in colors from McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports, which are partnering together to make Larson’s attempt at ‘the double’ possible.

Larson will have the #17 on his IndyCar next May as opposed to his typical #5, as that number is taken by series regular (and team-mate for the day) Pato O’Ward.

“Kyle Larson is one of those rare drivers and champions that can race anything, so we’re super excited to have him in our race car,” said Zak Brown at the unveiling.

“He reminds me of drivers like Dan Gurney and Mario Andretti who could drive anything on wheels as fast as anyone. To have him join us for the Indy 500 is extremely exciting.”

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion will be running Arrow McLaren’s fourth entry in the race on the same day he competes in the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Competing in both races will require precise planning and a quick plane flight out of Indianapolis as soon as the Indy 500 is over, in addition to the physical and mental stamina on the part of Larson.

2014 was the last year that a driver attempted to run both races in the same year, when Kurt Busch drove cars for Andretti Autosport and Stewart-Haas Racing.

The 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 are both scheduled to be run on May 26, 2024.

Meyer Shank Racing announced on Friday morning that the team’s sportscar ace Tom Blomqvist would be shifting to the team’s IndyCar program next season.

MSR has signed Blomqvist to a multi-year deal, and is the first of the team’s two full-time entries to have a confirmed driver for the 2024 season.

Blomqvist has been making a name for himself recently in IMSA, driving in the top prototype class for the past three seasons.

He earned the championship in his first year with MSR in 2022, and has won two races this year if one includes the Daytona 24 Hours victory that was all but stripped due to a tire pressure infraction.

The 29-year-old will make the move back to open wheel cars next year, a discipline that he learned well while contesting Formula Renault, Formula 3, and most recently Formula E in the 2020-21 season.

Blomqvist drove his first career IndyCar race with MSR earlier this year, filling in for Simon Pagenaud at Toronto and impressing with his ability to gain pace throughout the weekend.

“Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to Mike [Shank] and Jim [Meyer] and all the partners – AutoNation, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs – for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” said Blomqvist.

“It’s been a good ride the last two years in IMSA, but I’ve been itching to make the step up to IndyCar and this is an opportunity I’m eager and motivated to make the most of.

“IndyCar is an incredibly competitive series and I’m under no illusions in how difficult this championship can be, but I am extremely motivated to make the most of this exciting new challenge.

“This opportunity only arose since joining Mike and his team, then just kind of proving to them that I was capable and worthy of getting given the shot in IndyCar. I’m super, super grateful for that. I’m extremely excited.

“It’s been a while. I’ve been doing something so different for so long, but I think time will tell. I’m pretty confident I’ll figure this thing out.”

Blomqvist will be taking over Helio Castroneves’ seat, with the long-time veteran shifting to a minority ownership role within the team.

He will still get a chance to earn a fifth Indianapolis 500 win, however, as MSR will field a third car for the race next season.

Castroneves admitted that changing his role away from a full time driver will be difficult, but he’s committed to helping the team evolve and grow in whatever way he can.

“We started these discussions with Tom and Helio, we’ve been talking to Tom for a long, long time about what his next step would be,” said MSR co-owner Jim Meyer at the press conference to announce the changes.

“I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people out here. The only people I don’t think he will surprise are me and Mike.

“We began talking with Helio, I don’t know, more than a couple months ago. We had a couple of great conversations about what Helio wanted, what we thought was really good for our sponsors, what’s great for Meyer Shank Racing.

“Helio will also take on a role, I don’t know, it’s bigger than an ombudsman. It’s driver coach, it’s ambassador, and frankly it’s providing and helping us get to this next level that we want to get to in IndyCar racing. We’re really pleased to be able to make this announcement today.”

It is not yet known which of the team’s two cars Blomqvist will drive, or who will partner him in the second full time entry.

Castroneves will start his 388th IndyCar race on Saturday, alongside Linus Lundqvist, who is filling in for a recovering Simon Pagenaud and will start his second race.

Marcus Armstrong is running this season’s road and street courses for Chip Ganassi Racing, driving as the lone rookie in the team’s powerful four-driver lineup.

Despite not running the four ovals contested so far this year, he still leads IndyCar’s rookie points standings and is hopeful that he can stay there for the remainder of the season.

Armstrong is beginning to be asked more frequently what his plans are for next year, and if he will be running the full schedule.

The 23-year-old Kiwi is certainly warming up to the idea of racing ovals along with the road races, and feels that his current position at CGR is one of the best places he could be to try out the new venture.

“I haven’t exactly kept it a secret, but I’d love to stay here at Chip Ganassi Racing,” said Armstrong about his future plans.

“I think I’ve been reasonably vocal about trying ovals for the first time. It would be a dream come true to compete at the Indy 500.

“At the moment my focus is on just getting good results because my own results is going to help me in the long-term. Yeah, it’s not really in my hands on the contractual side, let’s say.

“All I can do is just compete at the maximum of my ability, try and stay present, which is fairly easy seeing as though it’s going well. The team, it’s a very enjoyable environment. I feel like it’s all training in the right direction. I just have to keep pumping out some good results.”

Just before it was announced that Takuma Sato would be driving the #11 entry for the remaining oval rounds of the season, Armstrong began to talk more openly about his desire to try his hand at oval racing.

It is a discipline that he has not yet had a chance to try out on account of his European racing background, but it is one that has garnered his interest this season.

His time spent on the CGR pit box this season has also made him realize there are a lot of skills that he does not yet have that are needed to be successful on the banking.

“What I find intriguing is just how one guy can get momentum at one part of a race and just create such a pace deficit compared to everyone else,” continued Armstrong. “I’m still trying to figure out how we can manage that.

“Also, watching the way that Scott [Dixon] drives compared to everyone really in the team, there’s so many different ways to achieve the same lap time. There’s just so many styles. I feel like that’s intriguing.

“And, yeah, I think the way that everyone achieves the same lap time in totally different ways, that’s quite interesting to me. I just sort of want to experience it and understand what I feel it needs and what I feel I need to do to get the best lap time.”

There is one final oval race of the 2023 IndyCar season yet to come, and Sato will be driving the #11 Honda for that round at World Wide Technology Raceway as well.

The other four remaining races are on road and street courses, giving Armstrong plenty of opportunity to improve on his season best finish of sixth that he earned in Toronto.

Santino Ferrucci is having to be more careful than usual while compering in the double-header IndyCar event at Iowa this weekend, as he does not have a backup car at the track.

Drivers are already more conscious of damaging their cars when the schedule dictates a short turnaround between sessions for their crews to fix any broken parts.

The Hy-Vee double-header weekend, in which there is a full race on Saturday and again on Sunday, provides extra risk when a single crash can disrupt two events at once.

Ferrucci’s predicament compounds that even further, and is due to his fantastically fast chassis from the Indy 500 last May being protected by his AJ Foyt Racing crew.

“I have to be very careful,” Ferrucci told MotorsportWeek.com, referencing the first race on Saturday. “I do not have a backup car.

“Everything that I do is incredibly meticulous, has to be super calculated, and I have to think multiple steps ahead. Because my backup car is sitting back in Indy with a cover on it for next year.”

Ferrucci was fast throughout the Month of May on the Indianapolis oval, and drove his fast car to a podium finish after starting in fourth.

The performance gave a jolt of enthusiasm to the entire AJ Foyt team, and it is no surprise that the team is not allowing it to be races elsewhere for fear of damage.

Even though he has extra pressure to stay out of trouble this weekend, the 25-year-old still enjoys the action-packed nature the schedule brings.

“I do, actually,” said Ferrucci when asked if he likes having two races in two days. “I think it’s awesome. But it should be a Friday night, Saturday night race. My forehead’s already burnt from the sun and it’s 11:45!”

The NTT IndyCar Series has revealed an updated wheel hub component to strengthen the rear wheel assembly, which will help to prevent another accident like the one at this past year’s Indy 500.

During the 107th running of the event on May 28, Kyle Kirkwood’s left rear wheel was sheared from his car in a collision with Felix Rosenqvist and flew over the catch fencing.

Only good fortune prevented the wheel upright, which included the tire, hub, wheel bearing and brake assembly, from landing in the crowded grandstands, with the only damage being delivered to a passenger car in a parking.

After extensive analysis by Dallara and IndyCar, it has been determined that the triple wheel tether system did not fail, but rather the retaining nut on the inside of the wheel hub itself.

A redesigned wheel nut, which is 60% stronger than the original variation, has been distributed by Dallara for immediate use by the entire paddock.

“Dallara continues to be a tremendous partner of the NTT IndyCar Series,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said.

“Their thorough review process of the incident between the No. 6 and the No. 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway began immediately and included an extensive recreation at their headquarters in Italy.

“IndyCar takes safety very seriously. This update is an important step in making sure an incident like this does not happen again.”

Use of the new retaining nut will be mandatory for all teams beginning this weekend at Iowa Speedway, which is hosting a double-header event.

It is not believed that this particular component has failed at any time other than the incident in question this past May, but IndyCar and Dallara went to great lengths to make sure that it is the only such occurrence.

“It is Dallara’s mission, along with IndyCar and all of the racing series we work with, to maintain and continuously improve safety based upon the highest standards,” Dallara CEO Stefano dePonti said.

“After completing a detailed analysis of the accident during this year’s Indy 500, together with IndyCar we have reached the conclusion that the outcome was the consequence of an unusual and never experienced set of circumstances.

“Nevertheless, we have developed and produced new components that will increase the strength of the corner in case the unlikely sequence of events repeats itself.”

Eight weeks after a disastrous Indianapolis 500 literally took a toll on his health, Bobby Rahal is seeing his team take big strides towards recovery as IndyCar enters the final stretch of the 2023 season.

His Rahal Letterman Lanigan team earned its first IndyCar win in over three years last weekend on the streets of Toronto, with his rising star of a driver Christian Lundgaard converting pole into his maiden victory in the series.

The result was something Rahal could hardly have imagined just a short while ago, and is the product of some drastic changes made behind the scenes to correct a troublesome trend in the team’s performance.

Striking a serious tone among his race win celebrations, Rahal described to media how hard it has been to make the necessary changes that have led to the team’s quick turnaround.

“Making changes is difficult because it’s obviously affecting people’s lives, and that’s not fun,” said the 70-year-old team owner.

“When everybody says, ‘Oh, it must be great to be a president of the company.’ Yeah, it’s great until the minute you have to let somebody go. Then you feel like crap, whether they deserved it or not.

“Just things weren’t working. I think that we felt we just had to — you know what they say about the definition of insanity is keep doing the same thing time and time again and expecting a different result.

“I just felt that we were at that point. We needed to give some people some opportunities that they maybe had been wanting for a while and hadn’t been given that opportunity. I think that contributed to this turnaround of sorts. Just different atmosphere.

“You know, again, it’s no fun making those kind of decisions. I mean, it’s no fun at all, but we have to. We’re a company. We represent great companies.

“We have great people within our team, and we have an obligation to those groups, to the people within our team, and to our sponsors. So you have to do what you have to do.”

The RLL team has been slowly expanding in recent years, and for the first time in its 30 year history has fielded three full time IndyCar entries for the last two seasons.

The team also began working out of a brand new shop this year, which houses the IndyCar and IMSA squads in the same facility.

Rahal and the rest of the team had hoped that investing in their resources would immediately give a boost their performance, but instead they found themselves struggling this year.

Often coming to the track with setups that were far from optimal, RLL attempted to find the source of the problem before the heart of the season approached.

A quick solution was not found, however, and Rahal watched on as his son Graham Rahal was bumped out of the Indy 500 by one of his own team-mates on qualifying day. That sequence delivered a big hit to the longtime owner’s pride.

“Well, after Indy, the month of May took — I’m 70 years old, and the month of May took a real toll on me. I wasn’t sleeping well at night. We’re here to win. We’re not here to fricking play around or to be part of it. We’re here to win.

“I’m telling you, it was bad. So much so that I thought my physical health had been — you know, a year ago in June I had open heart surgery. This May, I mean, it knocked me back a few steps because I’m not here just to show up. I’m here to win.

“All the effort [Christian Lundgaard] and Graham [Rahal] and Jack [Harvey] and our team. Everybody is working their butt off, and it haunted me. It pained me.

“That’s why I just said right after Indy, I said, ‘We’re going to create and instill and initiate the Indy Recovery Plan,’ which we’re in the process of doing. Which is all about looking into why we performed so poorly and fixing those issues so that next May we’re fighting for the pole, and that’s our goal.

“I’ve got great people to help me do that: Steve Eriksen, Stefano Sordo, Ricardo Nault. May was hell for me. That’s why we made the decisions that we made, and they weren’t easy. I think we’re getting the results of those, but I don’t take any confidence that we’re there yet.”

Rahal confirmed that part of his ‘Indy Recovery Plan’ included letting some of his staff members go so that he could bring in some fresh perspectives.

He took those decisions very personally, and was very cognizant of the lives and families he was disrupting in order to make room for new people in the operation.

Nearly two months on, it seems as if that plan of attack is beginning to manifest itself with more consistent pace on track the past couple race weekends.

Christian Lundgaard earning pole and his first win in Toronto is just the most visible part of the team’s recovery, as there are many other pieces that are beginning to work better behind the scenes.

Rahal reiterated after the Toronto weekend how proud he is of the whole team for working through the changes, and that he expects more good things to come from their continued efforts.

“Detroit really — that bothered me more than Indy because we should have been — I mean, we won Detroit several years ago, the two races. We won that race. Then to go back there and be so out of it, that just really bothered me.

“I have to tell you it was emotional for me because of the hell that we went through in the last six weeks and to have a race like we had this weekend, and to see Graham going from 27th to ninth, I mean, Jesus.

“Yeah, I’m just very proud of the team, very proud of the working relationships we have within the team, whether it’s with Christian and Graham and Jack or the engineers or what have you.

“So, anyway, you have to make changes that you think are right, and thankfully we’ve had some good results since then, but we’ve got to keep doing what we’re doing. You just can’t rest on our laurels. We have to keep pushing.”