IndyCar Updates Indy 500 Reserve Driver Policy

Kyle Larson (left) with Tony Kanaan at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Paul Hurley/Penske Entertainment photo)

INDIANAPOLIS – IndyCar officials announced a clarification to the sanctioning body’s reserve driver policy Thursday afternoon ahead of next month’s 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

During a recent team manager call, teams were made aware that a replacement driver would be eligible with the following parameters:

A replacement driver will only be considered if the primary (entered) driver is also participating in another marquee event with that driver’s principal racing series on Indianapolis 500 race day.

The IndyCar-approved veteran replacement driver must be eligible for and pass the Indianapolis Motor Speedway refresher program in the entry during the first day of Indianapolis 500 practice.

Additional tires for the refresher program will not be allowed for the Indianapolis 500 entry. The tire allotment for each entrant is 32 sets for the event. Any tires used for the refresher program will be taken from the allotted tires to that entry.

During the refresher program, minimal setup changes will be allowed.

After the replacement driver completes the required phases of the refresher program, additional laps during the session for the replacement driver will not be permitted.

Once IndyCar is notified that a team will use its replacement driver for the Indianapolis 500, the entry’s qualified position is forfeited, and the car will start at the rear of the starting lineup and ordered according to Rule 8.1.8.6.

A qualified driver, who is officially replaced by the team, may return and compete with that entry provided the replacement driver has not participated in a session other than the refresher program. In that scenario, the car’s starting position will remain at the rear of the field with the starting lineup ordered according to Rule 8.1.8.6.

The 2025 IndyCar rulebook will be updated to reflect these changes.

Thursday’s announcement primarily points to – and could have an impact on – Kyle Larson, who aims to complete Double Duty this year and race in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in the same day on Sunday, May 25.

If the Greatest Spectacle in Racing is delayed or halted due to weather or other factors, Hendrick Motorsports (Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series team) and Arrow McLaren (the owners of Larson’s Indianapolis 500 entry) agreed this season that the Coca-Cola 600 takes priority this year.

The decision was made in advance to prevent a repeat of last year’s chaotic situation, where rain delayed the start of the Indianapolis 500 by four hours and ultimately prevented Larson from taking part in the Coca-Cola 600 at all.

If a situation arises where Larson must leave prior to the green flag for the Indianapolis 500, Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan would step in as the replacement driver for the No. 17. However, the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner would drop to the rear of the field for the start of the race.

If Larson starts the race, however, but then has to leave prior to the checkered flag to travel to Charlotte Motor Speedway and make the start of the Coca-Cola 600 on time, a replacement driver would then be unable to step into the car.

The green flag for the 109th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET, live on FOX, while the Coca-Cola 600 is slated to begin at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video.