The chaos at Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway left everyone talking. Kyle Larson, the Cup Series veteran, became the unwitting villain when he sent championship leader Justin Allgaier spinning into the wall during a crucial late-race restart.
What should have been Allgaier’s triumphant march to victory lane turned into heartbreak, while his teammate Connor Zilisch seized the moment to deliver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Motorsports their long-awaited 100th win.
What Did Kyle Larson Tell Dale Earnhardt Jr. After the Indianapolis Incident?
The fallout was significant enough that Rick Hendrick, the head of Hendrick Motorsports, personally reached out to Earnhardt following Larson’s contact with the potential race winner. Allgaier had been perfectly positioned to claim that historic 100th victory for JRM, but instead found himself watching from the sidelines as his younger teammate Zilisch completed the job.
Reflecting on his brief encounter with Larson after the race, Earnhardt noted, “On my way from our pit box to victory lane, I had to walk by Kyle (Larson), and he was like, ‘Man, I’m sorry.’ And I was like, ‘I ain’t worried about it… You’re part of the story. We’re walking to celebrate 100 wins, you’re one of the reasons why we’re doing that today.”
Larson clearly understood the gravity of his mistake. His immediate apology to the JRM co-owner showed genuine remorse for the restart mishap. However, Earnhardt chose to focus on the positive outcome. While the lap 86 incident robbed Allgaier of his moment, it created the opportunity for the team’s rising star Zilisch to capitalize on the chaos and claim his spot at the front.
Why Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Choose the High Road?
During his appearance on the “Dale Jr. Download” podcast, the 50-year-old team owner explained the reasoning behind his measured response. He said, “When I saw Justin, he was on the pit road, I said, ‘Hey, you did a good job, kicked a** on those restarts, this sucks. Let’s try to put it behind us.”
Earnhardt’s concern extended beyond the immediate disappointment. He continued, “He was walking down pit road like he might go up to that pit box and climb up on it and I wasn’t sure if he was going to do that, maybe he wasn’t but I’m like, that’s probably not the optics that we need because the cameras are going to get that and I’m like, ‘We don’t need this sort of rift between the No. 17 bunch that’s at Hendrick (Motorsports)Â and us over here.'”
The team owner wasn’t pleased with Larson’s actions, but his business acumen guided his response. Understanding the critical relationship between JRM and their engine supplier Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt prioritized maintaining harmony over expressing frustration. His focus shifted to calming down Allgaier and preventing any public confrontation that could damage relationships.
“I’m sure there is something I could have done differently” @KyleLarsonRacin on his late race contact with Justin Allgaier@MyPlaceHotels pic.twitter.com/JEdAbWYhq3
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) July 27, 2025
Following the race, Larson took full responsibility for the incident. Acknowledging his error, he stated, “I wish I could have done some things different. Honestly, I don’t really know what I could have done right there other than to maybe help my angle into (Turn) 2 a little bit. Again, sorry to Justin and the #7 team.”