NASCAR and IndyCar driver Kyle Larson made a tradition-rich decision at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway recently—picking his preferred milk for the upcoming Indy 500. The moment was shared on Instagram, in a reel uploaded by Team Hendrick ahead of his second attempt at competing in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double.
The short video shows Kyle Larson walking up to a table at the speedway and ticking off his milk preference—whole milk—from the official Indy 500 driver form. The options included whole milk, 2% milk, and skim milk. This choice is part of a long-standing Indy 500 tradition where the race winner drinks milk in the Victory Lane. Team Hendrick’s caption read,
“No pressure… just choosing @kylelarsonracin’s Indy milk 🥛”,
Kyle Larson returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, aiming to finish what he started in 2024. His debut Indy 500 attempt ended with promise but no completion, as weather delays and pit lane penalties stopped him from running both races in the Memorial Day weekend double. This year, Larson is in it to execute the full 1,100-mile challenge on two tracks and in two different race cars.
Back in early April, Larson and Jeff Gordon revealed the cars he’ll be driving for both races. His No. 17 IndyCar from Arrow McLaren will sport the blue-and-white colors of HendrickCars.com and papaya orange detailing from McLaren, while his NASCAR Cup Series No. 5 Chevrolet will carry matching elements. NASCAR.com shared that the car reveals were done via a livestream at the NASCAR Productions Facility and are part of the larger #Hendrick1100 effort, now supported by Prime Video.
“I didn’t really feel like it does much” — Kyle Larson underwhelmed by IndyCar’s hybrid assist
Kyle Larson is still adjusting to the latest changes in IndyCar ahead of the 2025 Indianapolis 500, especially the new hybrid assist system. During open testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 2021 NASCAR champion gave a blunt assessment of the new feature after spending time behind the wheel of the No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Speaking via Cup Scene on YouTube, Kyle Larson said,
“I didn’t really feel like it does much of anything to help you. It definitely helps; it doesn’t hurt. But it’s not like you get this massive boost down the straightaway or anything like that. I feel like whenever I would hit it, I’d get like an initial kind of handful of horsepower, and then it just flattens out to normal. You get kind of close and then you just stall out.” [13:00 onwards]
The hybrid assist system is designed to give drivers a temporary power boost and is recharged during braking or when off-throttle. However, Larson’s comments suggest the system isn’t delivering the kind of performance edge many expected.
Another concern for Kyle Larson has been the impact of the hybrid system on the car’s handling. The hybrid unit adds about 105 pounds to the vehicle’s weight. This change has affected the balance of the car, which drivers have noted since the system was introduced. Larson backed those sentiments during his run, saying the car felt different compared to last year’s setup.
His second day of testing didn’t go as planned. In the opening session, Larson crashed in Turn 1 after forgetting to reset the weight jackers. The resulting understeer sent him into the wall.
Kyle Larson’s first Indy 500 experience had him qualify fifth– at one point sitting sixth with 70 laps to go, before a pit-road speeding penalty derailed his race. He finished 18th. Complicating matters further, a rain delay in Indy caused him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, where a substitute driver had to take the wheel. Rain later cut that race short, leaving Larson without a lap in the car.
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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee
