During the month of May last year, NASCAR Cup star Kyle Larson made so many trips back and forth between Indianapolis and Charlotte that it wouldn’t be surprising if Larson woke up a time or two and wondered what city he was in.
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The reason for Larson’s frequent flyer status was simple: he had nearly a week of practice and then qualifying in Indianapolis for the Indianapolis 500, then raced down to North Carolina for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, then returned to Indy the following week to compete in the Indy 500, followed by another return trip back to Charlotte afterward.
All that back-and-forth was due to Larson’s attempt at “The Double” (or some people call it “Double Duty”), racing in both IndyCar’s Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. It’s one of the most exhausting single-day tasks in motorsports.
Unfortunately for Larson, even though he finished 18th in the 500 and captured Rookie of the Year honors, weather issues in Indianapolis delayed his finish in the 500 and forced him to miss competing in the 600 that evening.
This year will be a completely different situation. While most people will call Larson’s doubleheader bid as “The Double,” Hendrick Motorsports has rebranded the twin bill as “the Hendrick 1100” for the 1,100 total miles that will be contested.
That is, providing Larson is able to complete all 600 laps of racing that day — 200 on the 2.5-mile oval in Indy and 400 on the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
While some may marvel at all the airtime Larson logged last year attempting The Double, it’s no big deal, the California native says.
“I thought I was well-prepared the first time around, so I don’t think there’s much I would do different,” Larson said during the April 2nd unveiling of the two cars he’ll drive in both the 500 and 600. “I felt like I did a good job with my nutrition, my fitness and all that.”
“I think it’s surprising to people who think it’s a lot of traveling back and forth, but it’s actually not. That’s probably the least amount of travel I’ll have all summer. For me, it was really relaxing and I felt like I could focus on the Indy 500.
“A typical week for me (is) I’m flying here and there, back and forth, and juggling kids and all that. But last year, I was in my motor home every day in Indy. On the (qualifying weekend at Indy), I flew to North Wilkesboro to run the All-Star Race, then flew right back, that was quick.”
“The next week, I went to Charlotte on Saturday (to qualify for the 600), came back and raced (the next day at Indy) and then went to Charlotte. It wasn’t a big deal at all. It was not typical one bit for the stress of travel; it was very, very nice, honestly, to sit around.”
“The days are so long in Indy, like the practice days are 9 to 5, but there’s so much downtime in that where you’re really relaxing most of the time that you’re there. Maybe others wouldn’t feel that way, but for my lifestyle and what I’m used to, it was pretty simple.”
Having gone through everything last year in preparation for The Double, Larson expects to pretty much do the same thing for this year’s attempts.
Larson Must Keep to His Schedule for ‘The Double’ This Year
Except for one crucial difference.
Last year, because Larson failed to race in the 600, there was some initial concern whether NASCAR would grant him a waiver to be eligible for the 10-race Cup playoffs, as the sanctioning body has a rule that for a driver to be part of the playoffs, he must run in each of the 26 races during the “regular season” prior to the playoffs.
The HMS driver, of course, missed the 600, and while it was tenuous for a while, NASCAR eventually granted him the waiver and he was able to compete in the playoffs, but failed to make the Championship 4 title-deciding race, ultimately finishing sixth in the final season standings.
This year, if weather once again becomes an issue in Indianapolis, Larson will maintain his schedule as planned and depart for Charlotte on time.
Of course, if Larson were to win the 500, it’s likely the post-race celebration would be shorter than normal.
After all, he has a plane to catch, no matter what.
