Larson 18th at Indy; misses out on ‘The Double’
INDIANAPOLIS — Rain was not Kyle Larson’s friend Sunday.
Larson was determined to complete the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, known as “The Double,” but didn’t get a chance to run a single lap in the NASCAR race.
Storms swept through Indianapolis Motor Speedway and delayed the start of the race, ruining Larson’s chance at finishing all 1,100 miles in a single day. But after driving his No. 17 car to an 18th-place finish in his debut in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” — despite a pair of rookie mistakes — the NASCAR star nevertheless headed to Charlotte.
After two helicopter rides and about an hourlong flight, Larson arrived for the 400-lap race that Justin Allgaier had started in his place. Just as he arrived, weather brought the race to a halt with 151 laps left, giving Larson time to climb into the No. 5 car.
But he never got to turn a lap at Charlotte as the race was called after a two-hour rain delay, with Christopher Bell getting the victory.
“I would definitely love to be back next year,” Larson said of the Indy 500. “Feel like I learned a lot. Made a couple of mistakes early there with the restart — not sure what I did there. Feel like I did a really good job after that and was able to learn a lot.”
Larson started fifth and spent most of the Indy 500 — won for the second time in a row by Josef Newgarden — hanging with the leaders. But he made a minor mistake going through the gears on an early restart and lost about 10 spots, then made a major one later in the race, when Larson locked up the tires entering pit road and was caught speeding.
Larson was sixth at the time but had to drive through pit road again to serve the penalty, shuffling him outside the top 20. He managed to pick up a couple of spots over the last 70 laps but never got a caution that could have given him a chance.
“It killed our opportunity,” Larson said of the pit-road mistake. “Could have executed better.”
Arrow McLaren fielded the car for Larson in a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports. With rain in the forecast all week, the big question entering Sunday was whether NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick would pull the plug on the effort and send Larson to Charlotte early so that he could race for stage points and help his chances in the Cup Series playoffs.
But when the rain ended, a spokesman for Hendrick Motorsports confirmed that the Indy 500 would be the priority.
“I think it would be fantastic to have him back,” said Larson’s teammate, Pato O’Ward, who finished second after Newgarden made a last-lap pass for the win. “I think he did a phenomenal job. I didn’t see quite where he finished, but when I was playing around with him out there, playing in traffic, I think he did a phenomenal job.”
Hendrick was on hand in Indianapolis to watch the race, along with Jeff Gordon, the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports who largely grew up in Indiana and once dreamed of running the Indy 500. They were joined by hundreds of other fans who gathered around the No. 17 car when it was pushed to the grid about an hour before the drop of the green flag.
The storm that swept through Sunday wasn’t the first to disrupt Larson’s plans. He had several days of practice washed out — partially or entirely — earlier in the month, limiting the amount of time he was able to spend in the car.
Larson’s attempt at “The Double” captivated those within the racing world. Most of his Hendrick Motorsports team flew to Indianapolis on Friday to watch the final practice on Carb Day, and drivers back in Charlotte were watching the start of the rain-delayed Indy 500 before heading to their own cars and getting ready for the start of the Cup Series race.
“I’m excited from the NASCAR side, but I’m more excited from the sprint car side, to see another sprint car guy go to the Indianapolis 500,” NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe said. “It’s kind of the origins of Indy. You had these sprint car guys who would go and run — you had A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Jack Hewitt, Bryan Clauson recently — and that was always the thing. If you were the best sprint car guy, you wanted to run the Indy 500. That was the dream. So it’s cool from that standpoint.”
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Paolo Uggetti, ESPN
USC wide receiver Makai Lemon exited Saturday’s 27-24 loss to Michigan with an apparent injury after he was hit hard during a punt return in the first half.
Lemon did not return to the game, and according to the CBS broadcast, he was taken away in an ambulance. USC did not provide an official update on Lemon’s status before the end of the game.
The sophomore wideout spent an extended amount of time lying down on the field after the injury while surrounded by several members of USC’s training and coaching staff before walking off under his own power. He entered the injury tent and then was taken into the locker room.
Tight end Lake McRee also exited the game in the second half with an apparent left leg injury. The broadcast showed McRee visibly emotional on the bench before he walked into the tunnel to the locker room.
McRee has been a mainstay of USC’s offense early on, accounting for 137 yards on nine receptions so far this season.
Lemon has caught four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown for USC this season. Last year, Lemon played both wide receiver and cornerback. As a receiver, Lemon had six catches for 88 yards.
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Jake Trotter, ESPN Senior Writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan star tight end Colston Loveland has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against No. 11 USC with an undisclosed injury.
Loveland suffered an apparent shoulder injury in last weekend’s win over Arkansas State. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore hasn’t specified the nature of the injury.
A preseason All-American, Loveland leads the Wolverines with 19 catches for 187 yards; no other Michigan pass catcher has more than nine receptions.
The No. 18 Wolverines also changed starting quarterbacks this week, moving from Davis Warren to Alex Orji. Warren had thrown six interceptions in three games, including three last weekend. He threw two picks in a 31-12 loss to Texas on Sept. 7.
Orji has only seven career passing attempts but has rushed for 58 yards in a relief role this season.
Moore said this week that he wants to see Orji “take the reins” of the Michigan offense with his opportunity.
“Excited for him,” Moore said. “I know he’s chomping at the bit.”
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The 23-year-old Abrams led off for the Nationals and went 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT. He was informed of the demotion Friday night, sources said. He will be sent to West Palm Beach, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.
Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.
Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.
Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first-half into an All-Star selection, hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and Abrams’ defense has been a weakness throughout the season.
Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.
“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Saturday. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”
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