The Indy 500 is the ‘greatest spectacle of racing.’ The iconic race attracts drivers from across the world, particularly from NASCAR with Kyle Larson being no different. However, heading into the 2025 iteration of the race that will mark his second ever start, Larson admitted that this might be his last attempt at winning in Indianapolis for the foreseeable future.
Kyle Larson made his debut at the Indy 500 in 2024. He was named the Rookie of the Year after he qualified fourth and finished 11th in the race. The American star will continue with Arrow McLaren for this year as well. Larson opened up about his future at Indianapolis following Day One of a two-day open test for the race.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion claimed that he has not yet had a conversation with anyone regarding the Indy 500. However, Kyle Larson admitted that he was thinking of his second attempt as the last at the greatest spectacle of racing, at least for the time being.
I don’t know, I haven’t really had a sit-down discussion with anybody about that, so I don’t know. In my head, yeah, I’m going into this thinking it’s at least for the time being, in the near future, the final Indy 500.
Kyle Larson said, as quoted by Forbes.
Larson highlighted that at 32, he still had several years left in his career. Moreover, he recalled the time when he said on Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s podcast that he had already expressed his interest at shifting focus completely to the prestigious event after he decides to call it quits to the Cup Series.
But I am still young, and I mentioned on Dale (Earnhardt) Jr.’s Download thing (podcast) that maybe someday when I’m not full-time Cup and I can really devote all my mind to Indy, I’d like to do it again.
Kyle Larson explained.
Despite being uncertain over his future at the race, Kyle Larson remained confident that he can win the event this time around. He joked that he might just ride off into the sunset for good from the Indianapolis race if that does happen this year.
However, Larson acknowledged that the Indy 500 remains an incredibly exciting event. The 32-year-old reckoned that even if a driver has raced it multiple times, they will still have the feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out) and would want to keep coming back to Indianapolis. As such, he remained tight-lipped on giving a clear answer.
But we’ll see. If I happen to win the Indy 500, I’d probably just ride off into the sunset, too. I don’t know, it’s such a cool event. I think once you run it enough, I think, and you don’t, you probably have a lot of FOMO (fear of missing out) and want to come back. It’s hard to fully answer that right now.
Kyle Larson added.
However, Larson’s return to Indianapolis did not kick off with the best of starts. The 32-year-old finished last among five drivers in the mandatory Refresher Test. The test is a compulsory program for rookies and non-regular drivers before they can compete in the high-speed runs during practice.
Nevertheless, the former Cup series champion will be ready to bounce back in the coming days. Kyle Larson remains one of the most talented drivers in NASCAR. Thus fans continue to have high expectations on the American star. Though, it remains to be seen if Larson can emerge victorious at the greatest spectacle of racing in his second attempt.
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The fat lady is yet to serenade Denny Hamlin's NASCAR career, but she's slowly beginning to warm up. On Friday, it was announced that Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing — an extension Hamlin says is "most likely" the final one of a career that has spanned two decades. Should 2027 be Hamlin's final season, it would be his 22nd year of full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition. Hamlin, 44, is a 58-time Cup Series winner and leads the series with four victories this season. Even in the twilight of his career, Hamlin is one of the best drivers in the garage — and that's completely intentional. "The ability to win week in and week out, that's a high motivating factor in wanting to do this," Hamlin said in a news conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. "Certainly, as competitive as I am, I'm motivated by being able to win." "Who knows what could happen three years from now?," Hamlin said when asked about why he didn't opt for a longer deal. "I just want to make sure I give them (Joe Gibbs Racing) proper time, make sure I commit to them for not one year, (but) multiple years, let them continue to try and build the program. But no particular reason — if I was 26 I would take 10 years. I want to make sure I'm still at peak form in my final year." Hamlin will go for first Brickyard 400 win on Sunday, and a win at Indianapolis would give him a victory in all four of NASCAR's crown jewel races.
Reds right-hander Carson Spiers will undergo Tommy John surgery that will end his 2025 season and cost him all or virtually all of the 2026 season, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports. Spiers hasn’t pitched since April due to a shoulder impingement, and a minor league rehab assignment that began in early July was cut short when Spiers experienced some biceps soreness. However, an MRI revealed the much worse news of UCL damage, and the righty now faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines. Spiers has at least been amassing Major League service time while on the Reds’ IL, and he’ll continue to do so during his time on the 60-day injured list in 2026. Given the usual 13-15 month recovery timeline for Tommy John patients, the timing of the surgery makes it unlikely that he’ll be back on a big league mound until the 2027 season, unless Spiers can perhaps get back in time for a peace-of-mind outing or two at the very end of the 2026 campaign. Now in his third MLB season, Spiers was an undrafted free agent from the 2020 class of players who were somewhat left in limbo when the pandemic reduced the 2020 draft to just five rounds. He made it to the Show for a few appearances for Cincinnati in September 2023, and then played a larger role for the Reds last year, tossing 90 2/3 innings while starting 10 of 22 games. His abbreviated 2025 campaign consisted of two starts in three appearance, and 13 1/3 innings. When not starting, Spiers has also operated as a long reliever, bulk pitcher, and a piggyback type of pitcher, so his ability to eat innings was helpful even if the results were shaky. Spiers has a 5.69 ERA over his 117 career frames in the majors, as well as a 19.3% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate. His career Triple-A numbers are a little better, and inflated by the 5.94 ERA he posted in 16 2/3 frames with Triple-A Louisville this year during his rehab assignment, when Spiers was naturally focused on getting comfortable and healthy rather than pure performance.
The Green Bay Packers want to let training camp play out to see how their depth at cornerback is before making significant additions to the group. But after three days of practice, general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to sign another depth piece to create extra competition. On Saturday, beyond confirming the previously reported addition of running back Israel Abanikanda, the Packers also signed rookie cornerback Garnett Hollis Jr. He is a 6-0, 199-pound player. Undrafted, Hollis played three seasons at Northwestern before transferring to West Virginia before his final college season in 2024. Throughout his college career, the defensive back had 124 tackles (including five for loss), two interceptions, 12 passes defended, and one forced fumble. He spent some time with the Tennessee Titans after the draft. "I like our depth there," Gutekunst had told Cheesehead TV back in June. "I do think between Kalen King, Kamal Hadden, and Micah Robinson, there's going to be some really good competition for the back end into that roster. I'm excited to give those guys that opportunity to see." Bleacher Report's Cory Giddings projected Hollis as a fifth-round prospect, highlighting his aggressive and physical presence in the run game. "Garnett Hollis Jr. projects as a developmental prospect who will likely find his role as a physical outside cornerback in zone-heavy schemes. His size, length, and aggression make him an asset against bigger-bodied receivers and in run support, but his movement limitations and inconsistent tackling could cap his ceiling as a backup or rotational player. Hollis will need to refine his technique and improve his consistency to carve out a role at the next level." — Cory Giddings Competition on the roster In the first week of camp, the Packers have played with Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs outside, and safety Javon Bullard primarily in the slot. Carrington Valentine has also had significant time with the ones. The roster has Bo Melton, recently converted from wide receiver, Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, and Micah Robinson with more chances. The bottom of the depth chart has veteran Gregory Junior, Isaiah Dunn, and undrafted rookie Tyron Herring. Johnathan Baldwin is also officially listed as a cornerback, but he's practiced mostly at safety so far.
The Seattle Mariners lost on Friday night against the Los Angeles Angels, falling 3-2 in 10-innings. It was a tough loss for Seattle, as they fell to 4-4 since the All-Star break, but they remain in the second wild card spot in the American League, 0.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox. However, optimism for the organization remains high, especially after acquiring first baseman Josh Naylor in a pre-trade deadline deal on Thursday. The slugging first baseman made his team debut on Friday, going 1-for-4 with a single and two strikeouts. However, he certainly ingratiated himself to M's fans before he even stepped onto the field, as he wore an awesome jacket, complete with a nod to Gary Payton and the Seattle SuperSonics. There's almost no quicker way to make yourself likable to Seattle fans than to show appreciation for the Sonics. Now, he'd take it to the next level if he'd take some shots at the Oklahoma City Thunder, but one step at a time. Naylor is hitting .292 this season with 11 home runs and 59 RBIs. He's stolen 11 bases and owns an .804 OPS for the Diamondbacks and Mariners. An All-Star last season, he helped lead the Cleveland Guardians to the American League Championship Series. They dealt him to Arizona in the offseason. The Mariners are back in action on Saturday night against the Angels with first pitch coming at 6:38 p.m. PT. George Kirby will take the mound against left-hander Tyler Anderson, who will get the ball for the Halos. The series concludes on Sunday.