Zak Brown sets clear criteria for signing Kyle Larson's replacement for the 2026 Indy 500

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has set the criteria to sign a driver for Arrow McLaren's fourth Indy 500 in 2026. NASCAR champion Kyle Larson piloted the entry in the last two years as part of his attempt at The Double.

However, he failed to conquer the challenge in both attempts. In 2024, torrential weather delayed the 108th Indy 500 by four hours. However, Larson chose to complete the race instead of flying to Charlotte for NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. By the time he reached the Charlotte Speedway, the race was stopped as the unrelenting rains followed him from Indiana.

NASCAR eventually called off the race, which was halted just past the midway mark. Kyle Larson didn't get to run even one lap. In 2025, there was a 45-minute rain delay before the 109th Indy 500. However, this time around, the Hendrick Motorsports driver spun and crashed his No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevy on a lap 92 restart. The misfortune followed him to Charlotte as he crashed out of the NASCAR race as well.

He later announced that he won't be attempting The Double in the foreseeable future, and that the Indy 500 was out of question for the time being. In a recent interview with David Land, McLaren's Zak Brown laid out the criteria for the fourth entry for the 110th Indy 500 next year.

"Something that's exciting. A driver that can win the race. Even if it's a rookie and maybe can't win their first year, like Kyle. But I'll tell you what. I think Kyle would've had a shot in his first year, Fernando (Alonso) in his very first year had a shot. So it needs to be an exciting entry," he said [5:15 onwards]. "We don't want to put a fourth car just to put out a fourth car. We need to put out a fourth car 'cuz it adds technically to the other three cars, commercially it's exciting, and it's something the fans get excited about. So we'll only put out a fourth car if it fits that criteria."

Alex Palou won the 109th Indy 500 on May 25. Pato O'Ward was Arrow McLaren's best-performing driver, securing P3 on the podium.

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Zak Brown gives his verdict on potentially signing Team Penske's Will Power for 2026

Two-time IndyCar champion Will Power is in the final year of his contract with Team Penske. Team owner Roger Penske has pushed contract talks to August with the possibility of it spilling over into the offseason. McLaren CEO Zak Brown addressed the possibility of signing the veteran driver for next year.

Reporter Bob Pockrass made a statement on Saturday from an excerpt from his conversation with Brown. In an X post, he wrote:

"Chatted with Zak Brown here in Toronto. He reiterated he is happy with his drivers in INDYCAR and is not making a run at Will Power. He said he will have same driver lineup next year."

Zak Brown is happy with his three young drivers in IndyCar - Christian Lundgaard, Pato O'Ward, and Nolan Siegel. The team will retain its line-up for 2026.

Edited by Mitali