Larson to focus on Indy 500 after sprint race
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kyle Larson said he would turn his attention to the Indianapolis 500, and a second crack at racing immortality, the moment he stepped out of his car following the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.
The only problem with that? He wasn’t due for practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway until Tuesday.
Plenty of time to squeeze in another race.
So even as Larson was basking in the glow of a third Cup Series win of the season while flying to Indianapolis on Sunday night, he wasn’t quite ready to fully focus on the 500. The plan was to hop in a car and drive to Kokomo, Indiana, for a sprint car race on Monday night, and only then turn his focus to the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“He just goes and goes and goes,” marveled Chad Knaus, the vice president of competition at Hendrick Motorsports, which fields his No. 5 car in the Cup Series and is working with Arrow McLaren to field Larson’s car for the Indy 500.
The reality is that Larson would rather be behind the wheel of a race car than behind a TV screen, or a bar, or just about anywhere else. His priority every year may be the Cup Series, and winning a second championship, but that leaves plenty of open dates on the schedule where he can sprinkle in an Xfinity Series race, or Truck Series race, or run at a local dirt track.
He happened to do that Friday night at Lakeside Speedway, just down the road from Kansas Speedway, where his High Limit Racing series was running. Larson nearly had a sprint car land in his lap during a scary wreck that tore up his car. But he simply shrugged it off as part of racing, and he was back at the track the next morning.
“The thing that I’ve always been impressed with Kyle since he showed up at Hendrick Motorsports is that he is unfazed,” Knaus said. “Like, nothing gets under his skin. He doesn’t get wound up. He doesn’t get emotional about maybe something that happens on the race track. He doesn’t get emotional and carry weight on his shoulders.
“He just rolls with it,” Knaus said, “and he goes and he continues to drive.”
That preternaturally placid demeanor was stretched nearly to a breaking point at last year’s Indy 500, though.
Larson was taking his first shot at “the Double,” trying to run every lap of the 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte the same day Memorial Day weekend. Many have tried but only Tony Stewart in 1999 has managed to pull it off.
But while Larson was able to overcome every problem lobbed at him on the track — aside from a speeding penalty on pit road in the 500 that took him out of contention for the win — he was powerless when it came to dealing with the weather.
He doesn’t like being powerless.
On race day, rain swept through Indianapolis Motor Speedway and soaked the track, leaving Larson to wait in Gasoline Alley to see whether the race would even take place that Sunday. And if it did take place, would he stay and run the 500 or be forced to withdraw so that he could head to Charlotte and fulfill his obligations in the Cup Series race that night?
He stuck around and ran every lap of the Indy 500, and was chosen rookie of the year afterward. But the delay kept him from starting the Coca-Cola 600, and by the time his helicopter-plane-helicopter trip from Indiana to North Carolina had deposited him at the track, more rain in Charlotte kept him from ever climbing into his car there and completing a lap.
“Unfortunately once Mother Nature stepped in,” Knaus said, “we didn’t have a whole lot that we could do.”
The long-range forecast for the Indianapolis 500 looks much better this year.
And once again, Larson is heading into perhaps the busiest month of his calendar year, riding a wave of on-track momentum.
His dominating victory at Kansas Speedway, where he led 221 of 267 laps on Sunday, was his third Cup Series win of the season, and it moved him into first place in the points standings. Larson also has won two of his three Xfinity starts, one of his two Truck races, and he has a win and three top-five finishes in five sprint car features in the High Limit series.
Then again, all that success doesn’t seem to matter much to him.
“I don’t really let a race affect the next day of my life,” Larson explained Sunday night. “I would rather win leading into these next couple of weeks than have a DNF or something. But I don’t really think it matters.”
What happens the next couple of weeks matters a lot, though. He’s been waiting a whole year to try “the Double” again.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a fun two weeks,” Larson said. “I look forward to working together with the team, Arrow McLaren, and learning the car more, trying to narrow in on our balance, and just trying to have a smooth couple weeks like we had last year, and execute like you would in any race and try to be in the hunt at the end.”
The 150th running of the Preakness won’t have the fanfare of previous years.
There will be no Triple Crown on the line and no rematch of the 1-2 finishers in the Kentucky Derby after trainer Bill Mott elected to point Sovereignty toward the Belmont and bypass the Preakness.
Just three horses who ran in the Kentucky Derby will run in the Preakness on Saturday — Journalism, who finished second to Sovereignty, American Promise (16th) and Sandman (seventh). Nine horses will enter the race, including several newcomers to the Triple Crown trail.
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While a Kentucky Derby winner skipping the Preakness is a rarity over the history of the race, it’s become more common in recent years. Country House, who won the 2019 Kentucky Derby after Maximum Security was disqualified, was not entered into the race by Mott due to a cough. Other ailments ended his career early and he never raced again.
Rich Strike was not entered in the 2022 Preakness and neither was 2021 winner Mandaloun, who was not declared the official winner of the Kentucky Derby until Medina Spirit was officially disqualified after failing a postrace drug test.
The modern order of the Triple Crown races, with the Kentucky Derby first and the Belmont last, was established permanently in 1932, with some exceptions. Notable Kentucky Derby winners who skipped the second leg are: Grindstone (1996, career-ending injury), Spend a Buck (1985), Gato Del Sol (1982), Tomy Lee (1959), Swaps (1955), Determine (1954), Hill Gail (1952), Count Turf (1951) and Lawrin (1938).
This will be the final Preakness run at Pimlico for several years, as the 155-year-old track is set to undergo renovations for the next several years, including the replacement of the current grandstand for a smaller version. The Preakness will move to Laurel Park until renovations are complete.
Betting the Preakness
by Katherine Terrell
What’s the big draw now that the Kentucky Derby winner is out of the race? Journalism, who went off as the betting favorite in the race, gets a chance for redemption.
While putting Journalism on top of our Kentucky Derby bets didn’t quite pan out, he’s certainly going to be a worthy, and heavy, favorite in this race. Don’t take his second-place finish as a knock on his talent — he’s the most accomplished horse in this field.
What about Sandman, who drew significant attention in the Kentucky Derby due to his name? Sandman was named after the Metallica Song “Enter Sandman,” and the band recently posted a video cheering him on ahead of the Preakness.
Sandman’s trainer Mark Casse said the horse had tender feet going into his last race, causing him to sport glue-on shoes, but he has since been switched back to normal horseshoes. Sandman is a closer, meaning he would need a fast pace up front to be able to pass tiring horses and win this race.
Some of the more intriguing newcomers are Goal Oriented, trained by Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen trainee Clever Again. Both are lightly raced, and bettors who are looking for better odds than Journalism provides might hope one of these two horses takes a step forward.
That’s the same situation as Gosger, who is 20-1 on the morning line but recently won the Grade III Lexington Stakes. He will also have to take a step forward or hope Journalism runs poorly off two weeks rest.
Journalism can sit back off the pace and hope the leaders get into a speed duel, a possibility with a lot of speed in the race. Either way, he’ll be a tough favorite to bet.
About the above chart: A Beyer number is a ratings system for speed during races. Some think horses need at least one race where they run a 95 Beyer number or over to be competitive in the Derby. Many of these horses have races where they’ve run over a 100 Beyer number or better.
The logical bet: Journalism to win (8-5) but will require a large bet to get a decent return.
The slightly better odds bet: Clever Again to win (5-1)
Two suggested bets:
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Exacta box: Journalism/Clever Again
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Trifecta: Journalism over Clever Again over River Thames, Gosger.
Best plays
by Anita Marks
No. 2 Journalism (8-5) is favored and rightfully so. He ran a great race in the Derby, but Sovereignty was just the better horse that day. With such a small field (nine horses), along with his pedigree, Journalism should dominate.
Other horses I fancy in the Preakness:
Clever Again (5-1) is a unique animal with a lot of talent. I believe he is the second-best horse in the race. Son of American Pharaoh — who won the Triple Crown — and trained by Steve Asmussen, an excellent trainer. He is super fast, is in great form and is training well.
Goal Oriented (6-1): A Bob Baffert horse. and will have one of the best jockeys on his back in Flavien Prat. He has the speed to come out of the No. 1 post and will be sent hard. Son of Not This Time and was the winner of a 1 1/16-mile race on the Kentucky Derby undercard. This will be his third race.
Preakness Plays:
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To win or place: Clever Again
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Exacta box: Goal Oriented, Journalism, Clever Again
After building a 2-0 lead on the Florida Panthers in their second-round series, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now down 3-2 leading into Friday’s Game 6 (8 p.m. ET, TNT).
Will this be the final game of the Maple Leafs’ season? Or will they force a Game 7 on Sunday?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a recap of what went down in Thursday’s games and the three stars of Thursday from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers
Game 6 | 8 p.m. ET | TNT
With the Panthers up 3-2 in the series, ESPN BET now lists them as -800 to win this series, with the Maple Leafs at +500. Florida’s Stanley Cup odds are now +300, while Toronto’s are +2500.
The Panthers are 5-1 all time when leading 3-2 in a seven-game series. The only loss came in the 2012 playoffs against the Devils. The Maple Leafs are 6-18 all time when trailing a series 3-2.
In Game 5, 14 different Panthers registered points, which is the most players to do so in a single playoff game in franchise history. Florida has had 17 different players score a goal this postseason, which breaks a single-postseason franchise record set in 1996.
With his fourth multipoint game of the playoffs, the Panthers’ Sam Reinhart is one of six players to hit that benchmark in the 2025 playoffs.
The Panthers have not trailed for 170:10 of game time since Carter Verhaeghe‘s tying goal 5:17 into the second period of Game 3.
Toronto’s Auston Matthews has zero goals in his past five games, which ties the longest goalless drought of his playoff career (other occurrences were in 2021 and 2023).
Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz is likely out for Game 6, turning the crease back over to Joseph Woll, who gave up five goals on 25 shots in Game 5.
Öcal’s three stars from Thursday
The likely Vezina Trophy winner made 22 saves in a 4-0 win, which is his second straight home shutout in this series.
Scheifele scored the opening goal in Game 5 and added an assist on Nikolaj Ehlers‘ power-play goal in the second. He now has three goals in potential elimination games, which is the most in Thrashers/Jets 2.0 franchise history.
Andersen has been great for the Canes. He gave up just one goal on 19 shots in the series-clinching win over the Capitals, and allowed just six goals total in the Hurricanes’ five games against Washington.
Thursday’s recaps
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Washington Capitals 1
CAR wins 4-1, plays winner of TOR-FLA
With a spot in the Eastern Conference finals on the line for Carolina — and a continuation to at least Game 6 the motivation for the Capitals — the two teams battled in an inspired contest. Canes captain Jordan Staal got on the board first, but Washington’s Anthony Beauvillier answered four minutes later. The teams remained tied 1-1 until less than two minutes remaining when Andrei Svechnikov fired one past Logan Thompson. With the net empty, the Caps could not get the equalizer, and Seth Jarvis sealed the deal with an empty-netter with 27 seconds to play. Carolina now awaits the winner of Maple Leafs-Panthers in the conference finals. Full recap.
0:38
Seth Jarvis’ goal secures series win for Canes
Seth Jarvis notches a clutch goal to to secure the series win over the Capitals.
Winnipeg Jets 4, Dallas Stars 0
DAL leads 3-2 | Game 6 Saturday
Needing a win to remain alive, the Jets got an emphatic one, backstopped by a 22-save shutout by Connor Hellebuyck. Mark Scheifele got Winnipeg on the board first, with his fourth goal of the playoffs at 6:17 of the second period. Nikolaj Ehlers added a power-play tally 2:20 into the third, with Vladislav Namestnikov joining the party at 12:07. With the net empty for Dallas, Ehlers added an empty-netter to cap things off and send Winnipeg fans home happy. Dallas has another chance to finish the series off at home Saturday — if not, Game 7 will be Monday, back in Winnipeg. Full recap.
0:42
Nikolaj Ehlers’ empty-netter secures Game 5 for the Jets
Nikolaj Ehlers scores the game-sealing empty-netter to secure the Game 5 win for the Jets over the Stars.
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