How Kyle Larson’s Memorial Day Double Could Be Affected by Donald Trump’s Coke 600 Attendance

For over a year now, the racing world has been eagerly anticipating Kyle Larson’s attempt at making the Double on Memorial Day. The effort will make him one of a handful of drivers who’ve attempted the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. However, all the excitement and his attempt itself could end up getting foiled by Donald Trump, former president of the United States.

According to Sportsnaut, Trump is planning to be in attendance at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26 to watch the race. Greg Walter, the venue’s general manager, confirmed the expectation to the Charlotte Business Journal. Why his arrival would complicate Larson’s run is because there could be restrictions in the airspace surrounding the race track and prevent the driver from flying in on time.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s website clearly states, “No person may operate an aircraft over or in the vicinity of any area to be visited or traveled by the President, the Vice President, or other public figures contrary to the restrictions established by the FAA and published in a NOTAM.” Larson’s Indy 500 race will begin at 12:45 p.m. 

He could complete his race in an average of three hours and lift off from Indianapolis at around 4:00 p.m. The transit time between Indianapolis and Concord is an hour and the Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled to start at 6:18 p.m. If the FAA prevents Larson from making proper use of this narrow gap that he has, he could end up not making it to the second race on time. Trump running to be commander-in-chief once again will only increase the likelihood of there being restrictions.

Where does Kyle Larson stand in preparation for the Double?

Larson qualified fifth for his IndyCar Series debut and is set to start his race in the middle of Row 2. He has turned quite a few heads with incredible speed behind his Arrow McLaren car and poses a serious chance to win the race. He also won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2021, the year he was crowned a Cup Series champion, so there’s little question of his potential to do so again.

He has already secured two wins in the ongoing Cup Series season and tops the points table with 6 top-5s, and 6 top-10s. Should he complete both the races successfully, he will be only the second driver after Tony Stewart to achieve the feat. The ball is in Trump’s court as things stand.