INDIANAPOLIS — NASCAR star Kyle Larson, the fifth driver in history to attempt to run the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, was able to turn only two laps before opening day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was halted and washed out Tuesday.
Drivers got just 23 minutes, 37 seconds of green flag time before it began to rain. The entire day was canceled some five hours later, and IndyCar has added an additional two hours of track time to Wednesday’s schedule.
Larson was part of a two-day open test in April but got only 47 laps in about two hours of track time before the session was washed out.
“This feels like a normal day for me here at Indy,” Larson joked. “Obviously, I would like to get a full day in today, but I know there’s plenty of opportunity these next handful of days to get a lot of laps. I’ll take rain every day except for qualifying day and the Indy 500, so I don’t really care.”
There are still roughly 30 hours of practice time scheduled before the May 26 race.
It will be Larson’s debut Indy 500 in a joint deal struck with Arrow McLaren, which is fielding a fourth car for Larson in conjunction with Hendrick Motorsports. He is the first driver to attempt the double since Kurt Busch in 2014, with Tony Stewart (2001) being the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles.
Larson’s final tuneup before Tuesday’s session didn’t exactly go according to plan — he rolled his sprint car five times in a crash at Kokomo Speedway on Monday night.
“Probably the worst night I think we’ve ever had sprint racing,” Larson said.
Larson, who has tested for McLaren already, is simply excited to get a few days strung together in an Indy car.
“I’m really excited to get this experience underway and get consecutive days in the car,” Larson said. “That’s been the toughest thing so far, that I go months at a time between each time I’m in the car. I’ve got to try to learn quickly here the next few days.”
A final decision on Thomas’ availability isn’t expected until game time, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, but he is listed as doubtful on the SEC availability report.
Thomas suffered the injury while returning a fumble 71 yards for a touchdown during the Sooners’ Nov. 1 win over Tennessee.
Oklahoma’s best defensive player, Thomas has a team-leading 6.5 sacks this season along with two forced fumbles and the scoop-and-score fumble recovery.
Starting cornerback Gentry Williams is also doubtful to play against the Crimson Tide. He is set to miss a third straight game with a shoulder injury suffered Oct. 18 against South Carolina.
Wisconsin will start true freshman quarterback Carter Smith at No. 2 Indiana on Saturday, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel, replacing Danny O’Neil after the sophomore was carted off the field with a right leg injury last week.
O’Neil was injured on a 21-yard keeper during the first quarter of last Saturday’s 13-10 win over then-No. 23 Washington. He had a towel over his head as he was carted to the locker room.
Smith made his season debut following O’Neil’s injury, completing 3 of 12 passes for 8 yards while rushing for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Also available to the Badgers at quarterback is senior Hunter Simmons, who is 48-for-95 for 485 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
For Indiana, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt is doubtful to play, sources said. Sarratt, who is tied for the Big Ten lead with 10 touchdown receptions, injured his hamstring against Maryland on Nov. 1 and missed the Penn State game last week.
With Indiana having a bye next week, Sarratt is on track to return against Purdue on Nov. 28.
Quarterback issues have hindered Wisconsin all season and throughout coach Luke Fickell’s three-year tenure.
Billy Edwards Jr. was Wisconsin’s first-team quarterback at the start of the season, but he sprained his knee in the second quarter of the Badgers’ opener and has played only one full series since.
Tanner Mordecai missed 3½ games with a broken hand in 2023. Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL in the third game of the 2024 season.
Wisconsin’s intended season-opening starting quarterback has been available for the entirety of only 11 of the 34 games the Badgers have played since the beginning of the 2023 season. The last time Fickell had his season-opening starting quarterback healthy for a full game was in a 27-13 victory over South Dakota on Sept. 7, 2024.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava will not play Saturday against No. 1 Ohio State because of a concussion, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Iamaleava was injured during last week’s loss to Nebraska. He began experiencing concussion symptoms after the game, according to On3, which first reported that Iamaleava would not play.
With Iamaleava out, redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan will make his first career start. Duncan has not attempted a pass in college as he tries to take down the top-ranked Buckeyes.
Iamaleava has thrown for 1,659 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his first year with the Bruins after transferring from Tennessee.
He led UCLA to three straight wins in October, including a victory over then-No. 7 Penn State, but the Bruins (3-6) have lost two straight and need to win out to become bowl eligible.