NASCAR driver Kyle Larson has a dream. To drive in the Indianapolis 500, fly to Charlotte, and pilot his Hendrick Motorsports No 5 Chevrolet in the Charlotte 600 on Sunday, May 26.
Larson cut his teeth in go-karting at age seven. He graduated to open-wheel racing as a teenager where he raced midget, Silver Crown and sprint cars. At age 20, he began racing stock cars and within a year, he was racing at NASCAR’s top level. In 2021, he won the NASCAR Cup Series and he was named one of NASCAR’s Greatest 75 Drivers in 2023.
An announcement was made at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 13, 2023, that Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren (IndyCar) have teamed up so that he can drive in both races. The plan was initiated by Arrow McLaren. At the time of the announcement, he had been in the simulator, and was fitted for his seat in the car.
The first hurdle was the Rookie Orientation Program in October. He was coached by Tony Kanaan, the IndyCar series champion in 2004 and won the Indianapolis 500 in 2013. Kanaan told Indianapolis Star journalist Nathan Brown that “He’s a complete race car driver. Probably out of his generation, the best I’ve seen.” Before he stepped into his IndyCar, Larson had an engineering brief where he was told about the (steering) wheel which has 25 buttons, the weight-jacker, the telemetry, and the engineers. To relieve some of the pressure of information overload, Kanaan told him “just enjoy the racetrack.”
He then stepped into the Arrow McLaren No. 6 Chevrolet for the Rookie Orientation test consisting of increasing lap speeds. The first phase was ten laps between 205 and 210 mph. The second phase was fifteen laps between 210 and 215 mph and the final phase was fifteen laps at over 215 mph. In total, he drove 72 laps (180 miles) with a maximum speed of 217.898 mph. The next hurdle to achieving his dream will be qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.
Passing the Rookie Orientation Program was pretty much what Larson anticipated. He told Nathan Brown of The Indianapolis Star, “The speed and the grip thankfully didn’t feel scarier than I thought it might, but there is a feeling of just how much the car wants to pull left, and you’ve got to fight it back right on the straights—that was something I didn’t expect. Larson had difficulty exiting pit road and appeared to stall three times. He inadvertently bumped the pit lane speed limiter button.
Only four other drivers have attempted to do The Double and only Tony Stewart has succeeded in driving all 1,100 miles in a day. His first attempt was in 1999 when he completed 196 laps in the Indianapolis 500 for a ninth-place finish. He finished fourth in the Coca-Cola 600. It is amazing that he ever attempted The Double again. In 2020, he told Tom Jenson who writes a NASCAR blog, “The first year it was terrible. It was a terrible experience. I had no idea what I needed to do, nutrition-wise. I’m not a workout guy. I’m not a nutrition guy. And I realized very, very quickly that day—I learned at the end of the 500, that I had a long day ahead of me still.” It was on to the Charlotte Motor Speedway where after completing the race, he needed Dale Earnhardt’s help to get out of the car.
Stewart learned his lesson when he returned in 2001. After being told by team owner Joe Gibbs to do some serious training, he hired a trainer for 3 ½ weeks. Stewart led some laps in both races. He finished sixth at the Indianapolis 500 which had a brief rain delay. After completing his Indianapolis drive, he took a helicopter from the infield which took him to a private jet. Another helicopter, this one provided by NASCAR legend Rusty Clark, took him to his waiting stock car at the starting line at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Seventeen minutes later, the race started. Stewart started from the back of the pack and finished third.
John Andretti was the first to attempt The Double. In 1994, he finished 10th at Indianapolis and an engine failure ended his racing at Charlotte on lap 201 of the 400-lap race.
Robby Gordon has attempted The Double five times. His first attempt in 1997 was impacted by rain. The Indianapolis 500 was washed out which pushed the race to Monday. He flew to Charlotte where he wrecked on Lap 186. He returned to Indianapolis where rain again delayed the race. It was finally run on Tuesday. His day finished early when he dropped out due to a vehicle fire. He attempted The Double a second time in 2000. Rain delayed the race at Indianapolis where he finished sixth. After flying to Charlotte, he took over from P. J. Jones and finished 35th. His best performance was in 2002 when he finished eighth at Indianapolis and sixteenth at Charlotte. He was one lap short of The Double in both races. His attempt in 2003 ended early at Indianapolis when the gearbox failed. The race in Charlotte was called after 276 laps due to rain. His final attempt was in 2004 when Indianapolis again had rainy weather. He left IMS during a rain delay. Jacques Lazier took over the driving duties but the car broke an axle on lap 88. He finished 20th at Charlotte.
The most recent driver to attempt The Double was Kurt Busch who finished sixth at Indianapolis in 2014. An engine failure ended his day at the Coca-Cola 600 after completing 271 laps.