Kyle Larson to skip Heat Race at North Wilkesboro for Indy 500 qualifying

Hendrick Motorsports said on Thursday that Kyle Larson’s no. 5 team not in Saturday’s Heat Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway will not compete due to Larson’s Indianapolis 500 obligations.

Larson drives Sunday night’s Nascar All-Star race. He will have to start at the back because he misses his heat race.

Larson will also miss Friday’s All-Star Exercise and Qualifying Sessions in Northern Wilkesboro. He will stay in Indianapolis to prepare for Indy 500 that qualifies this weekend.

Various challenges, including a new Nascar rule, make the performance of running in those signature races much more difficult on the same day.

Justin Allgaier will drive Larson’s number 5 Chevrolet in practice and Friday in North Wildeboro. Qualifying sets the series for the two heat races. The Pit Crew Challenge, which is part of the qualifying, will determine that the order teams choose their pit stalls.

There is little benefit for Larson’s team to run with another driver in the Heat Race. A driver’s change will force Larson to start at the back of the All-Star race.

The North Carolina-short track will host the all-Star race for the third consecutive season.

Larson started from behind in last year’s All-Star race after skipping the preliminary events to stay in Indianapolis and finished fourth. He won the All-Star race in North Wildeboro in 2023.

Larson is doing his second attempt to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 the same day later this month. Rain stopped his effort last year.