Rain, early exits from Indy 500 delay race, put Larson’s attempt at ‘double’ in jeopardy

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Kyle Larson (photo courtesy IndyCar)

A 50-minute delay in the start of the Indy 500 due to rain and then Marco Andretti’s crash on the fourth lap has put Kyle Larson’s attempt to complete “the double” and race 1,100-miles in one day in jeopardy.

The NASCAR star must leave Indianapolis Motor Speedway by 4 p.m. to make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, where the Coca-Cola 600 is his priority. Only one driver has ever completed all 1,100 miles — Tony Stewart in 2001. Larson’s bid failed last year because a rain delay in Indianapolis made him miss the Coca-Cola 600.

Larson could be seen checking his watch from inside his car as he waited for the command. He’s starting second in Charlotte. He started 19th in the Indy 500.

By 1:42 p.m., the drivers only had completed nine laps. It typically take three hours to run the entire race.

Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan was the standby driver for Larson in case Larson could not start the race. Kanaan is not eligible to replace Larson once he starts the race.

Scott McLaughlin exited early when he accidentally swerved into a wall in a parad lap. Andretti crashed on the fourth lap.

A swarm of people poured through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gates as soon as it opened. Some were shirtless, some wore American flag overalls, others checkered flag mini-skirts.

As they entered the main tunnel nearly five hours before the race, a large group began a thunderous “Let’s Go Pacers!” chant; The Indiana Pacers host Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks a few hours after the 109th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

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4 Comments

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  1. And why does the IEDC awards to the Battery Innovation Center, who awards Andretti Petroleum..and the Battery Innovation Center the Hydrogen of Indiana (I know, it’s confusing, and it’s also called greenwashing.)

    Indiana Hydrogen Ecosystem Initiative

    PROJECT SUMMARY:

    Over the last two years ESN has completed an extensive Indiana Hydrogen Ecosystem Report that details the economic, environmental, and innovation benefits of building out a hydrogen economy in Indiana. Hydrogen economy strategies and policies are becoming common place across the globe including in a number of US states (TX, OK, CA, etc.). Indiana has an opportunity to help shape and participate in this new energy marketplace drawing on some competitive advantages that exist in the state including a robust trucking and logistics industry and interstate highway network, large number of renewable energy developments (wind and solar) for green hydrogen production, access to an interstate ammonia pipeline, and a number of industrial use cases for hydrogen. Over the next two years ESN will lead the formation and begin the implementation of a hydrogen ecosystem pilot project
    that will move Indiana into a position of strategic leadership in demonstrating and validating this high growth global market opportunity.

    The pilot project will focus on the following objectives:

    • Recruit and secure commitment from companies that want to part of an Indiana
    Hydrogen Ecosystem program with the goal of developing a commercial scale green
    hydrogen production facility (goal of ~50 MW electrolyzer co-located with a solar or wind
    farm)

    • Recruit and secure commitment from companies to develop small green ammonia plant
    on site (hydrogen to anhydrous ammonia)

    Hydrogen corridor with H2 fueling station sites located along a major route in Indiana.
    Indiana Economic Development Corporation

    21st Century Research & Technology Fund • Partnership with H2 fuel cell truck fleet pilots leveraging the Hydrogen corridor

    • Identify what long term regulatory and policy tools are needed to support further
    expansion of Indiana hydrogen marketplace

    • Coordinate pursuit of federal funding through DOE Hydrogen Hub program in partnership
    with IEDC, industry, and academia.

    • Support Purdue research and analysis around the use of green hydrogen for industrial
    thermal needs, aviation fuels, and to green fertilizer to reduce CO2 footprint of ethanol.

    Proposed Partners

    Green Hydrogen Production Site: Cf Industries, Duke Energy, Koch Nitrogen, NuStar Pipeline, Avina,
    Hoosier Solar, Cummins, Itochu, BIC, Praxair

    I-69 Hydrogen Corridor: Itochu, Toyota, Cummins, Avina, Andretti Group, BIC

    https://secure.in.gov/apps/iedc/transparencyportal/viewtaxgrantloancontract/63d18e9c65b6ec11983e001dd804cef0

  2. IEDC: Where is the $21M return?

    Project ID Recipient Name City County Fund Type Contract Amount

    423448 Andretti Formula E, LLC Indianapolis Marion BPI $1,000,000
    424798 Andretti Formula E, LLC Indianapolis Boone IPF $550,000
    423392 Andretti Autosport Holding Company, LLC Indianapolis Hamilto EDGE $14,000,000
    423392 Andretti Autosport Holding Company, LLC Indianapolis Hamilton. SEF $125,000
    423392 Andretti Autosport Holding Company, LLC Indianapolis Hamilton. RTC $5,000,000

  3. In 2023 an employee from Andretti UK called Mark Haskins, called me at my home in Carmel to tell me that “if I wanted to have business in Indiana I needed to sponsor Andretti”.

    Yup.

    The British Andretti rep continued to share that “since Formula One is expensive and the State of Indiana cannot sponsor a Fomula One team, the IEDC came up with an INNOVATIVE way to pay for Andretti Formula One, by using sustainability grants via the Battery Innovation Center” and he added “BECAUSE SUSTAINABILITY GRANTS ARE UNLIMITED IN INDIANA”.

    Andretti and the IEDC Battery Innovation Center had been selling our economy to benefit themsleves.

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