NASCAR star Kyle Larson chasing 1,100-mile double at Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600
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“The double” has not been completed since 2001, despite several valiant attempts since then, but Kyle Larson is looking to add his name in the history books.
The Indy 500 is set to begin at 12:45 p.m. ET at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, five hours and 15 minutes before the green flag will come out in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Coca-Cola 600.
The flight between the two tracks is roughly an hour and a half, but Larson wants to brave it out.
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Kyle Larson speaks to media members during the NASCAR Playoffs Media Day at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sept. 4, 2024. (Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
“The main why is I love to race. I like to challenge myself, you kind of learn new cars and all that. And I like to compete in the biggest races in the world. So to do two of those in the same day, it’s pretty cool,” Larson said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
“For me, I want to do it while I’m in my prime. I’m only 32, feel like I’m at the top of our sport, I felt like the timing is right for that. I don’t know how long my NASCAR career will last… I think it’ll be really fun to do a road course race, just to experience that sort of feel of cars that have a lot of power and sliding around, no power-steering, the physicality of it. And also, getting to race with guys in their territory and see what they grew up doing, and just seeing the caliber and level they race at, because it would be different than what us NASCAR guys see and feel on a road course.”
Kyle Larson celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
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Five drivers, including Larson, have attempted the feat, and some have been able to run both races. However, Tony Stewart, who finished sixth at Indy and third in the Coke 600 in 2001, remains the only driver to accomplish all 1,100 miles. The last person to run both races is Kurt Busch, who finished the Indy 500 in sixth in 2014, but engine failure in Charlotte cost him the completion of that race.
Larson attempted the double last year, but rain delayed the Indy 500, and that same storm prevented him from competing in Charlotte later on in the day, despite making it to the track.
“I had fun last year, it helped prepare me for this year. There’s still a lot of good that came from last year even though I didn’t get to run both. Hopefully the weather stays good, as it looks like it should, we can have everything on time, and do a good job in the races too and run up front.”
For beginners, Larson has one main goal: “Finish all the laps.”
“But then, you look at where the bar’s at,” he continued, mentioning Stewart’s accomplishment. “You’re like ‘I want to beat that.’ If you can win one of the two, that’d be great. But it is hard to win a NASCAR race, which I do every week,” Larson said.
Kyle Larson, center, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
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“Winning the Indy 500 would be tougher, but it can definitely be done at the same time. The fastest car, best driver, doesn’t technically always win the race. If you just execute the details the best you can and don’t make any mistakes, you can have an opportunity to win at the end. If we can just do a good job, the results can take care of itself and we can have a great day.”
It would be nearly impossible to win both, but Larson knows which one he would rather have.
“I’ve won the 600, I would take the Indy 500,” he said. “But if I can win one of the two, it would be amazing.”
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