Kyle Larson has a lot of work ahead of him before he becomes the first driver since 2014 to attempt to complete IndyCar‘s Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR‘s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. But according to the 2021 Cup Series champion, things have been surprisingly easy so far before he steps into the join McLaren-Hendrick entry next year. “I thought it would be a full day process, and it was like an hour,” said Larson, explaining his introduction to IndyCar and the seat fitting process. “It’s like really? We’re done?”.
Reality set in more for Larson, McLaren, and Hendrick on Sunday morning in Indianapolis as the two parties revealed the two liveries set to race in their respective races, showing off the blue and papaya orange #17 entry for the 108th edition of the Indy 500. Larson’s usual NASCAR ride, the #5 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports, will don a revised blue and orange scheme for the second half of the double at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Of course, it isn’t all easy goings for the 31-year-old. Larson faced a fair amount of trouble when trying out an IndyCar on a simulator for the first time, specifically with applying the brakes. When testing on the virtual version of Mid-Ohio, the engineers in attendance told him he needed “…a thousand more pounds of brake pressure.”, adding on that full-time McLaren IndyCar driver Felix Rosenqvist showed up later and put up a much faster time.
Racing in series besides NASCAR is nothing new for Kyle Larson. In fact, he may be even better racing on dirt in sprint cars, midgets, and late models, making a name for himself as recently as this weekend with a win on the dirt at the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa the night before Sunday’s Cup race at Indianapolis. But with all of his experience, driving an IndyCar around the oval at Indianapolis is an entirely new animal for Larson.
“…our goal is just to build up and get as much prep and seat time as we can, just to hit the ground running and be as prepared as possible come May.”
Gavin Ward – Racing Director, Arrow McLaren IndyCar team
With that being said, let’s take a look at how the 10 other attempts at double duty have panned out.
| YEAR | DRIVER | INDY RESULT | CHARLOTTE RESULT |
| 1994 | John Andretti | 10th | 36th |
| 1995 | Davy Jones | 23rd | DNQ |
| 1997 | Robby Gordon | 29th | 41st |
| 1999 | Tony Stewart | 9th | 4th |
| 2000 | Robby Gordon | 6th | 35th |
| 2001 | Tony Stewart | 6th | 3rd |
| 2002 | Robby Gordon | 8th | 16th |
| 2003 | Robby Gordon | 22nd | 17th |
| 2004 | Robby Gordon | 29th | 20th |
| 2014 | Kurt Busch | 6th | 40th |
