Indy 500 Disaster: Kyle Larson Faces Massive Backlash Online as ‘Greatest Driver’ Title Gets Dragged Through the Mud

The Indy 500 race is cursed for Kyle Larson. That has to be the case, right? Last year, weather and a bad pit stop derailed a shot at a good finish during his debut run. Not to forget, the Double was incomplete without him even turning a lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He did have another opportunity to redeem himself, but just as he was getting into his groove piloting the No. 17 Arrow McLaren car, he crashed out of the race. And just like that, months of preparations and hard work seemed to be in vain.

The race began roughly 35 minutes behind schedule due to a passing rain shower that dampened the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Larson struggled to gain momentum in the packed field. Stuck in traffic for much of the first half of the race, he fought to climb positions, but the tight racing and difficult track conditions proved costly. On Lap 91, while navigating Turns 1 and 2, a downshift unsettled the car, and his rear end of the car just gave up, sending him spinning into the outside wall.

His car was beyond repair, and then he won the clock to make it back to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600. After being released from the care center, he looked and sounded dejected. “Hate that I caused that crash, hate that others got collected in it. Really just hate it for Arrow McLaren and Rick Hendrick. Just bummed out.” He was also asked about the time constraints he was facing to get back into his Cup car. “Yeah, I wasn’t too focused on that, I’m sitting there for 45 minutes, but once we got racing, I wasn’t really worried about that.”

Kyle Larson on his wreck. Obviously he is bummed. Also he didn’t know if he would have had to leave the race before it ended. ⁦@IndyCarOnFOX⁩ pic.twitter.com/XGcJy5MZXA

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 25, 2025

Last year, there was a lot of talk about the world’s best driver and Larson even claimed that he was a better driver than Max Verstappen. “I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,” he said after a sprint car race. But now that he’s failed to finish the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, fans are disappointed with him. The Amazon Prime Video team was supposed to release a docuseries on the driver’s successful attempt to complete the Double, but they will need to revisit that idea.

The fans who expected him to reach the milestone set by Tony Stewart were frustrated with how Larson had performed. And they didn’t hold back on the criticism with their opinions and comments on social media.

Fans question Kyle Larson’s racing talent after the Indy 500 fumble

“He should be done. No more Indycar for Larson,” a fan wrote in the comments. Both Hendrick Motorsports and the Arrow McLaren team had a two-year deal that would see Larson pilot the No. 17 car. But, with back-to-back disappointments and a crash this time around, it is hard to hand him another opportunity. There’s a lot of preparation that goes into setting up such events, and with no results to show for all the hard work, it is tough to visualize Larson in the No. 17 car next year at the Indy 500.

A few IndyCar fans couldn’t help but bring the best driver debate back into the mix and rub it in Larson’s face. Alex Palou managed to dodge the chaos and made the race-winning pass on Swedish driver Marcus Ericcson. This was the Spanish driver’s first win, but in turn became a part of the meme material that fans used against the NASCAR driver. “He lost to the best driver in the world today (Palou).”

A few fans were frustrated with his comments after the crash, where he didn’t acknowledge the issue, where he downshifted after making aggressive passes on the restarts. Larson wasn’t sure how he wrecked out and caught a few others and needed a replay to know for sure what led to the incident. But the fans were sold that he was dodging the responsibility for sparking the crash. “So basically, Larson has no idea (or is lying) about downshifting into 3rd gear at the wrong time while in the corner, and that made him spin. Nothing else, he got greedy and stupid at the same time. The replay shows the truth.”

The streak of harsh comments didn’t end there. This fan highlighted how Katherine Legge, who has faced a lot of heat after making her Cup Series debut this year, is a better driver than Larson. This was supposed to be the day when the HMS driver would script his name in the history books and join Tony Stewart, but he ended up crashing himself out of the race. “Accomplished nothing in Indy. Not even anything respectful. Legge crashes less.”

Not just IndyCar fans, a few salty NASCAR fans joined in the conversation. Kyle Busch recently admitted that he had the shot to attempt the Double, and it was all set, but a deal by Kyle Larson hijacked his opportunity as the sponsors that were in talks with Busch wanted him to buy out the car, rather than just sponsoring the team. “We could’ve had a Kyle Busch double, making them the first brothers in history to do it, but instead we get this ”

The only way Kyle Larson can silence critics is by winning the Coca-Cola 600. It would be a huge relief for him as a driver, too; ending two Indy 500s with disappointment can weigh heavily on a driver. So, the job is not done for the HMS driver as he will have to compete in the longest race of the season.

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