For the first time since 2014, a driver will be attempting the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day. Kyle Larson will attempt both this year in a partnership between Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren. However, attempting Indianapolis is nothing like attempting an average NASCAR race.
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The Indianapolis 500 prides itself as a race with no guaranteed starting spots. No race team or driver whether they are full-time, part-time, a former winner, or a former Champion is guaranteed a spot at Indianapolis if there are more than 33 entrants. This includes Kyle Larson.
In 1995, none of Roger Penske’s drivers qualified. In 2018, full-time driver James Hinchcliffe failed to make the race. McLaren did not qualify in 2019 with 2-time Formula One World Champion, Fernando Alonso. These are just a few examples of prominent names not making the “500”
Practice Schedule
The Indianapolis 500 is more than just one weekend. There are multiple practice sessions over the two weeks leading up to the race, and qualifying is the entire weekend before the race. We will use the 2023 schedule as our guide.
The 4 days leading up to qualifying was filled with practice sessions. This includes “Fast Friday”, where teams set their engines up for qualifying. These sessions usually last the entire day. Larson will likely be in Indianapolis that entire week.
The week after qualifying, should Larson make the race, there is more practice. In 2023, there was one session on Tuesday after qualifying, and the final practice was on Friday, known as “Carb Day”. The following Sunday is the Indianapolis 500.
Qualifying Procedure
Qualifying was over the next two days, the Saturday and Sunday before the Indianapolis 500 week. In 2023, Saturday qualifying lasted from 11:00 am to 5:50 pm local time. After every driver set a 4-lap average, the cars were split into two lanes.
Drivers who choose lane one withdraw their previous time to qualify again. Lane two is for drivers who choose not to withdraw their previous time. However, everyone in lane one gets to go before anyone lined up in lane two.
Drivers in positions 1-12 on Saturday will qualify again on Sunday to determine the first 4 rows. Drivers who qualify 31st or worst move on to “Last Chance Qualifying” on Sunday. Drivers who qualify 13th-30th have their starting positions locked for the race. Anyone who qualified in the top 30 on Saturday made the field.
In 2023, there were three sessions on Sunday. First, was top-12 qualifying, where the top-6 make the “Fast Six”, and positions 7-12 start there on race day. Next is “Last Chance Qualifying”, where those who qualified 31st or worst compete for the final 3 spots. The slowest of those get bumped from the field. The final session is the “Fast Six”, which determines the top-6.
The goal for Kyle Larson is to be in the top 30 on day one of qualifying. That guarantees him a starting spot on Sunday.
The weekend of the Indianapolis 500 should not impact Larson too much. Coca-Cola 600 qualifying in 2023 was on Saturday, and there was no on-track activity at Indianapolis that day in 2023. However, the Indianapolis 500 qualifying weekend may be interesting.
Again, Indianapolis 500 practice and qualifying sessions are all-day affairs. The weekend of Indianapolis 500 qualifying is the NASCAR All-Star Race. The 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. on Sunday, which is more than 2 hours after the latest Larson could finish up at Indianapolis. Making the race should be no problem.
Qualifying may be interesting. According to NBC Sports, Heat Race 1 in 2023 began on Saturday at 7:20 pm ET. If qualifying at Indianapolis ends shortly before 6 pm ET, Larson may have a tough time getting to potential heat races or qualifying sessions. With no guaranteed starting spot, Larson has to make absolutely sure he qualifies at Indianapolis.
Arrow McLaren is relatively new to IndyCar, but they are a big name in motorsports. They have a rich history in Formula One with drivers like Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, and Lewis Hamilton. They joined IndyCar full-time in 2020, and they have won 4 races since joining.
Their Indianapolis 500 results have been a bit mixed. In 2017 and 2019, they brought Fernando Alonso to Indianapolis. In 2017, Alonso led laps before falling out with a mechanical failure, but he failed to make the race in 2019. Since joining IndyCar full-time, their best Indy 500 finish was 2nd in 2022 with Pato O’Ward. In 2023, O’Ward led the most laps before crashing out late.
This is a historic motorsports team, but they are relatively new to Indianapolis. Still, their recent success shows that Kyle Larson should make the race and have a very competitive car in May.
How will Kyle Larson do in the 2024 Indianapolis 500? Will he be a threat to win the race?
Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information and intended to use it to benefit Spire Motorsports.
The organization is seeking financial compensation and a court order to prevent Gabehart from using or disclosing what it describes as proprietary data and trade secrets obtained during his tenure. In the filing, JGR states that Gabehart had access to sensitive technical, strategic, and operational information while serving in one of the team’s highest leadership roles. His employment contract, submitted as part of the case, shows he earned about $1 million annually plus performance bonuses. The team argues that such information could provide a competitive advantage if shared with another organization.
In its complaint letter, JGR alleges that Chris Gabehart synchronized his personal Google Drive with his team-issued laptop, allowing confidential files to be copied outside the organization. Investigators also allegedly found a Google Drive folder labeled “Spire,” including a subfolder titled “Past Setups,” along with more than a dozen photos of the laptop screen taken in November 2025 that allegedly showed sensitive internal documents. The filing also states that Gabehart conducted online research about Spire Motorsports during the same period, which JGR cites as evidence that the information was intended for the competing team.
The filing also states that JGR learned on February 11, 2026, that Gabehart intended to accept a role as Chief Motorsports Officer at Spire, a position overseeing the team’s racing operations.
According to the complaint, JGR issued a demand letter in December 2025 instructing him not to use or disclose confidential information and to participate in a forensic review to identify any retained data; Gabehart’s legal counsel responded that any JGR materials would be returned but opposed the forensic review, stating that a Google Drive folder labeled “Spire” contained only personal notes and that he did not possess sensitive documents. JGR challenges these claims in its filing.
The lawsuit follows Gabehart’s departure from Joe Gibbs Racing on December 3, 2025, which happened without a public explanation at the time. Gabehart had recently moved from serving as Denny Hamlin’s crew chief to overseeing competition across the organization. Neither Gabehart nor the team came to public to explain the reasons behind the split, which sparked fan speculation and theories for over two months.
Some of the speculation during the off-season suggested that Gabehart could join Spire Motorsports, though nothing has been announced. The lawsuit does not confirm any employment agreement but claims that the alleged actions were intended to benefit exactly that organization.
Team owner Joe Gibbs later explained that the organization chose not to hire a single replacement competition director after Gabehart’s exit. Instead, JGR created a 5-person competition committee that includes former director Wally Brown and 4 additional leaders focused on performance. Gibbs stated that the the group shares the responsibility for preparing the team’s cars and race strategy.
Gabehart’s tenure at JGR dates back to 2016 in the then-Xfinity, now O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before he became Hamlin’s crew chief in 2019. Together, they won 22 Cup Series races, including the Daytona 500 in 2019 and 2020, and reached the Championship 4 three times. He moved into the competition director role for the 2025 season, overseeing performance across all Cup teams.
JGR’s filing emphasizes that the competition director position involves broad access to internal processes, technical development plans, and strategic information, and the team is seeking legal remedies to prevent any use of that information outside the team and to recover damages related to the alleged breach of contractual obligations.
The case is expected to proceed through the court while the season continues, leaving Gabehart’s future in the sport uncertain.
This year marks the second season of NASCAR’s groundbreaking 2025 media rights deal, and fans are curious to see just how year two will stack up with year one. This article will walk you through the 2026 season race by race, comparing viewership week by week to NASCAR’s 2025 season.
All Races (3 Total in 2026): Includes Ratings for The Clash, Daytona Duels, and the All-Star Race, along with the 36-race regular schedule
Network Races to Date (2 Total in 2026): Points and Exhibition/Qualifying Races
Exhibition/Qualifying Races (2 Total in 2026): ONLY Includes Ratings for The Clash, Daytona Duels, and the All-Star Race
*The 2025 Daytona 500 was pushed back several hours due to rain, while the 2026 Daytona 500 was pushed up one hour to avoid inclement weather
**2026 Clash was pushed from Sunday to Wednesday due to snow, and moved to FS2 due to overrunning time on FOX.
This tracker will be updated throughout the season. Make sure to check back in for the latest!
Scene Vault Podcast’s creator Rick Houston is launching a new documentary series that will take a deep look at one of the most painful and transformative periods in NASCAR history. Firestorm, produced by The Scene Vault Podcast, chronicles the 17 month stretch from May 2000 to October 2001 when 5 drivers lost their lives in on-track accidents, marking the era that permanently changed the sport’s approach to safety.
The 10-episode series revisits the tragedies involving Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr, Tony Roper, Dale Earnhardt, and Blaise Alexander. Rather than focusing solely on the crashes themselves, Firestorm analyzes the human stories behind the drivers, the emotional toll on the garage, and the sweeping changes that followed.
Listeners can access the series through The Scene Vault’s podcast platforms, where episodes are released as part of its long-running motorsports history programming. The show is available on major podcast services, as well as through videos on YouTube.
The first episode of Firestorm is already up on YouTube, and you can check out by tapping below
By combining archival research, firsthand accounts, and technical analysis, Firestorm aims to document how grief and controversy ultimately led to one of the most significant safety revolutions in motorsports history, providing context as for why modern NASCAR safety standards exist and the heavy price paid to achieve them.
Subscribe to The Scene Vault and hit the bell to never miss an episode.
