NASCAR delays All-Star Race start time for Kyle Larson

Larson, currently at Indianapolis Motor Speedway taking part in qualifying sessions for the 108th Running of the Indy 500, was to be cutting it close to make it in time to race at North Wilkesboro. Further complicating matters was Larson himself after he finished in the top-6 of Fast 12 qualifying Sunday and is now set to participate in pole qualifying, slated for 5:25-5:55 p.m. ET.

Larson now appears to have some wiggle room, though he likely won’t waste time in attempting to get to North Wilkesboro. The plan remains for Larson to catch a plane ride from Indianapolis to a North Wilkesboro airport. He will then helicopter over to the racetrack for the All-Star Race.

Chad Knaus on having Justin Allgaier race in Kyle Larson’s place at All-Star Race: ‘Would get pretty messy pretty quickly’

While Hendrick once had a contingency plan in place for Xfinity Series regular Justin Allgaier to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in the All-Star Race, Hendrick vice president of competition Chad Knaus said that plan has now been nixed.

Instead, Knaus said, the only plan for now revolves around Larson making it to North Wilkesboro on time. If he doesn’t, they won’t race.

“The car would just sit there and look pretty [if Larson doesn’t make it to North Wilkesboro in time],” Knaus said Sunday. “We would save it for another event. … The way things are working out all of our cards are in getting Kyle here. That’s the plan.”

As for why the plan was nixed, Knaus said it “would get pretty messy pretty quickly.”

“To put Justin in and have him run the Open, we thought about it and spoke to NASCAR and that’s not the best route for all of us. It would get pretty messy pretty quickly,” Knaus said, via Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press. “Would it be fair to the people in the Open, or not fair to the people in the All-Star Race?”