Larson flies through Indy 500 ROP

Kyle Larson made quick work of his Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program on Thursday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevy, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series title winner and lifelong oval specialist turned a fastest lap of 219.3mph while completing 72 laps of the 2.5-mile oval.

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“It was cool getting to go that fast,” he said. “I would say it was about what I expected as far as grip and speed felt. Obviously there are little things that caught me off guard a bit, the way the car wants to pull left, down the straightaway you’re fighting it and turning right. In the corners, though, the weight of the wheel was about what I expected.”

Hitting his marks during pit stops and dropping the clutch with the hydraulic lever on the steering wheel are among the items Larson will look to master in his next IndyCar outing.

“The pit road stuff when I come back is what I’ll have to work on,” he said. “You have to turn the wheel so far, so being quick with that is something I’ve got to get used to. I thought the day went great and Arrow McLaren did a great job prepping me.”

The team’s sporting director, 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan, was impressed with Larson’s performance.

“It makes my life easier when you have a superstar, so it makes me look good,” Kanaan said. “I woke up this morning, I was actually nervous.  I didn't know why.  There's no reason for me to be. Yeah, awesome day.  I think the good thing is, Kyle and I were teammates back in the day; we won the 24 Hours of Daytona together, so we knew each other.  We fit in each other's seat.  It was seamless. I think we did what we were supposed to do today.”