That’s tough love.
Kyle Larson has plenty of supporters rooting for him to win the Indy 500 in his rookie outing, but his daughter isn’t one of them.
During a pre-race press conference on Thursday with the rest of the second row starters, which include Santino Ferucci and Larson’s Arrow McLaren teammate Alexander Rossi, Larson revealed who his daughter Audrey wants to win the race.
“Rossi,” Larson said. “She said last night, I’m going to finish second and she wants Rossi to win.”
Larson explained, “I think she thinks that my wife and him grew up going to the same school, so, even though they were, you know, rival schools.”
Rossi grew up in Nevada City, Calif., not far from where Larson’s wife Katelyn is from in Grass Valley.
He attended Forest Lake Christian High School in Auburn while she went to Bear River High School.
Rossi won the Indy 500 as a rookie in 2016. Larson is currently the third favorite to win this year’s race, according to MGMBet, which has him at +675 odds behind Team Penske dsrivers Josef Newgarden (+500) and Scott McLaughlin (+550), while Rossi is fifth at +800 behind pole-sitter and Team Penske driver Will Power (+700).
Larson is the only one of them that has two races scheduled for Sunday. He’s attempting to complete The Double by finishing the Indy 500, then flying to Charlotte for the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600.
He is the favorite to win the NASCAR race, but Mother Nature may have a thing or two to say about whether The Double happens. Showers and thunderstorms are currently scheduled for Indianapolis on Sunday, which could delay the race and force Larson to decide if he’ll skip the Coca-Cola 600 or stay in Indianapolis.
He said with the sketchy weather the best thing might be if the Indy 500 gets postponed completely until Monday so it’s not an issue, although rain is forecast through Tuesday.
Finishing both races on different days would also not be a true Double Duty effort, but he seems to be more interested in the Indy 500 than pulling off that specific feat.
