Larson Has Approval to Seek Indy 500 Opportunity

No deal is imminent, but nothing is stopping defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson from entering the Indianapolis 500 now either.

Larson, who frequently grew up racing Midgets and Sprint Cars around the Midwest in the shadow of the Racing Capital of the World, has long wanted to enter the Greatest Spectacle in Racing but had no shortage of stop signs.

When driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, the priority was on NASCAR and nothing else, with a contractual limit to the number of dirt races Larson could even enter throughout a given season. Then came his tenure at Hendrick Motorsports, which came with an immediate embrace of his dirt program, including a sponsorship program of his Sprint Cars and Late Models.

Larson rewarded that support with the Cup Series championship and neither Rick Hendrick or Jeff Gordon are going to stand in his way of finding a competitive ride for the Month of May in Speedway Indiana.

"I would love to do it," Larson said during his media availability at the Charlotte Roval on Saturday. "I want to be in the best equipment possible, the best crew. I mentioned to Jeff and Rick that I would like to do it (but) I also did it a year ago too."

When told that the IndyCar community is broadly having conversations about him and potentially having some obvious opportunities, Larson said he lets his management team handle that and he wasn't sure if there had been any overtures.

"As far as I know, I don't if anyone has or not," Larson said. "I told Jeff and Rick that I would like to do it and it's up to them to find something."

And again, no hesitation or reservation from Hendrick Motorsports.

"Yeah, Rick didn't want me doing it this year but (said) in the future, I could," he added.

Larson joins Kyle Busch as notable Cup Series drivers and champions actively seeking rides for next May. Busch was unable to compete in the event while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing but is now willing, able and enthusiastic about the possibility.