“Double Duty” is a term used to describe a driver competing in both the NTT IndyCar Series‘ Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR Cup Series‘ Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. Due to tight scheduling and the nature of both races as among the most famous rounds of their respective calendars, Double Duty has only been attempted ten times by five drivers with the last try coming in 2014 with Kurt Busch.
A decade later, Kyle Larson will be the sixth man to try his hand as the 2021 Cup Series champion will enter the 2024 Indy 500 in a car co-prepared by Arrow McLaren and his NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports.
Much like his childhood idol and current boss Jeff Gordon, Larson grew up with dreams of competing in the Indy 500 before instead making the jump to stock cars. Since débuting in NASCAR’s top level in 2014, he has become a star with nineteen wins and the 2021 title, the latter coming in his first year with Hendrick. In 2022, he won thrice and finished seventh in points.
Larson is regarded as one of the top drivers in motorsport today. Besides his achievements in NASCAR, he is a dirt track ace and even has a Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona overall victory in 2015.
“Competing at the Indianapolis 500 is a dream of mine and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, since I was a child before I ever began competing in sprint cars,” said Larson. “To do it with McLaren Racing and Mr. (Rick) Hendrick especially is a dream come true. I’m grateful for the opportunity and am really looking forward to it even though it’s still about a year-and-a-half away. I’m really looking forward to competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 and maybe even get a win or two that day.”
While Hendrick is a top-tier organisation in NASCAR, IndyCar will be a new foray hence the decision to partner with an equally iconic name like McLaren. Larson’s sponsor HendrickCars.com, which is owned by Rick Hendrick but has its own autonomy, will also support his IndyCar effort. The open-wheel programme continues Hendrick’s expansion beyond the Cup Series as the team also fields a part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series car and will run this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Garage56 entry.
“Putting Kyle in top-level equipment and allowing ample time for him to prepare for such a difficult challenge was important,” stated Hendrick. “It’s going to be very, very special to field a Chevrolet in the Indy 500 as a car owner. A collaboration like this was what we needed to make it happen, and fortunately the stars aligned. We’re 100% committed to doing it right and look forward to working with Zak (Brown) and his organisation.”
The Indianapolis/Charlotte double was first attempted by the late John Andretti in 1994. Davy Jones tried it a year later but failed to qualify for the 600. Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart are the only drivers to do it multiple times, with five by Gordon (1997, 2000, 2002–2004) and twice by Stewart (1999 and 2001). Stewart’s 2001 double was the most successful as he finished sixth in the 500 then third in the 600.
“[Kyle’s] a complete driver, known for racing anything on wheels, so I’m looking forward to seeing what Kyle can do in an NTT IndyCar Series car,” commented McLaren Racing CEO Brown. “It’s been great working with Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon to pull this together, so a big thank you to them for what’s to come in May 2024.”
