Engine problem forces Larson to abandon first qualifying attempt

Kyle Larson sits on the pit wall during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — NASCAR star Kyle Larson aborted his first attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 Saturday after hearing what sounded like a misfire in the engine of his Arrow McLaren near the end of his four-day race. laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Larson was the sixth of 34 cars to qualify and in position to set a time that would have put him near the head of the 33-car grid when the incident occurred. Larson played it safe, stopped the car and headed over to check everything out.

“There was an alarm on the dashboard and it just knocked the power out,” said Larson, who is trying to qualify for the May 26 race and become the first driver since Tony Stewart in 2001 to finish the race. ‘Indy 500 and Coca-Cola. 600 on the same day.

“I don’t know what happened but it sucks,” Larson said. “I don’t know what the car looked like, but it seemed pretty balanced.”

Brian Campe, the Hendrick Motorsports technical director who is working with Arrow McLaren to field the No. 17 car, said an examination of Larson’s engine revealed no serious problems. The hope was to return to the track later on Saturday and give him a chance to place in the top 12 and qualify for the penalty shootout on Sunday.

“We just know there was some sort of engine event,” said Jeff Gordon, vice president of Hendrick Motorsports, who once dreamed of competing in the Indy 500 himself. “We think the engine is still in good condition. They should be able to diagnose it and walk away.

Still, the delay could prove costly. The weather was much cooler when Larson made his first qualifying attempt, and cool temperatures generally translate to faster speeds. This was changing quickly as the sun peeked through the clouds above the expressway.

Larson wasn’t the only Arrow McLaren driver to have issues on the first day of qualifying.

Pato O’Ward withdrew from the lineup for his first race when the team decided to make late changes to its setup, Arrow McLaren principal Gavin Ward said. The decision was made shortly before Callum Ilott, whose 231.995 mph run had put him in the top 10, had his time lost when a post-run technical inspection discovered a problem with the offset of the left rear wheel.

There were about four hours left before the teams had a chance to conduct their first qualifying practice on Saturday, so Larson and the rest of the Arrow McLaren cars still had plenty of time to get back on track for another attempt.