Kyle Larson and Rain Arrive at Coca-Cola 600, Race Doesn't Resume
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Timing was not on Kyle Larson's side for running the full double, but that didn't stop the Hendricks driver from at least trying; after finishing 18th and leading four laps in the four-hour delayed Indy 500, Larson headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Coca-Cola 600 well underway.
Larson arrived by helicopter, seemingly riding in with the storm, as a yellow was thrown for lightning in the area. Four laps later, the race was then red-flagged, with 51 laps remaining in the third stage and 151 laps in the race.
By not being there at the start of the race, Larson, the NASCAR Cup Series points leader, will have to ask NASCAR for a waiver to be playoff eligible.
These waivers are often given to racers who miss due to injury, the birth of their children, or other personal reasons. While it's not known if Larson will get his waiver, Hendrick Motorsport would not have made that call to let Larson stay in Indy if they weren't extremely hopeful.
Justin Allgaier filled in for Larson, and the team planned for a mid-race swap; what they didn't plan for was for the rain to follow Larson directly, with a yellow coming out for weather right as Larson's helicopter came into sight.
As a relief driver, Larson will not gain any points from his finish in this race, and if he wins it, Allgaier's name goes into the record books. The last time a relief racer won, the Fox NASCAR broadcast reported, was in 1977, when Darrell Waltrip filled in for Bobby Allison at Talladega because Allison was suffering from heart fatigue.
Ownership points are what's really at play here; Hendrick Motorsports knows that they have the best chance of a higher finishing position or even a win with their ace behind the wheel.
If the race restarts, Larson and Allgaier will make their change under a red flag; Allgaier will give up the 13th spot, and Larson will drop to the back of the pack. Lucky for race fans, Larson is pretty good at running through the field.
All of this was for naught as the rain and track drying pushed the race past the window needed to get 151 miles in before high humidity would hit the track at 1:00 AM EST.
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