As Kyle Larson chases the #Hendrick1100 for the second consecutive year, where he’ll attempt to compete in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, Hendrick Motorsports has confirmed that the driver who will fill in wherever needed will once again be Justin Allgaier.
Allgaier will practice and qualify Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, as Larson will be busy testing and qualifying for the 109th Indianapolis 500.
HMS also says that Allgaier will be on standby as the reserve driver for Larson in the All-Star Race and next week’s NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“We’re fortunate to have Justin and we appreciate him stepping in to help,” said Cliff Daniels, crew chief for the No. 5 team, in a team press release. “He and Kyle are very similar in size, so there’s a lot in the cockpit that’s common between the two.”
Weather delays ahead of his first Indianapolis 500 start a season ago forced Larson to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600. Allgaier started from the rear of the field and was able to navigate the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the 13th position before weather put an early end to the Coca-Cola 600.
Larson and Hendrick Motorsports have stated that the Coca-Cola 600 will be Larson’s top priority this year, but if, for whatever reason, Larson is unable to start the race, Allgaier will get the nod.
If Larson misses the Coca-Cola 600 this time around, the driver will face an uphill battle as NASCAR updated its rules in regard to Playoff Waivers for drivers who miss races to compete in other racing series events.
Per the new rules, if Larson is granted a Waiver for missing the Coca-Cola 600, he will forfeit any current and future Playoff points. Needless to say, that would make the path to a second NASCAR Cup Series championship very difficult for Larson.
