Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson will be seen undertaking Double Duty this Memorial Day weekend as he prepares to race 1100 miles. He will be making his IndyCar debut this Sunday followed by his appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the famed Coca-Cola 600. The Elk Grove, California native recently sat down with former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe to speak on what changes he would want to see within both genres of motorsports as one of the few undertaking this historic feat.
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He elaborated in an interview and touched on encouraging more drivers from NASCAR as well as IndyCar to try the other sport out and said, “I hope more guys would do it. I would love for guys from this side to be able to come and run with us. I feel like it’s always been a NASCAR guy coming over. I think for both they would be surprised at how more similar the two cars are than what you would think.”
The 2021 Cup Series champion further touched on how the NASCAR Next Gen Cup car is closer than any other stock car in terms of comparison to an open-wheeled IndyCar ready to blast down the pavement at the Brickyard. Larson also touched on how a driver transitioning from stock cars to open-wheelers would probably find it easier to adapt to the same rather than the other way around.
All in all, it remains to be seen how well Kyle manages to perform come Sunday as he starts from P5 on race day at the Indy 500.
Which NASCAR Cup Series drivers undertook The Double before Kyle Larson?
Before the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s attempt at the famed Indy 500, former drivers and Cup Series veterans Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart were the ones to undertake the feat. The two remain as NASCAR’s and IndyCar’s most high-profile crossover acts to have happened in the history of American motorsports.
Busch remains the last driver to attempt and finish the famed 500-mile-long race in Indianapolis with a P6 finish during the event, before going on to retire from the Coca-Cola 600 on grounds of engine failure. He undertook this endeavor during the 2014 season.
Meanwhile, former Cup Series driver and current team owner Tony Stewart has multiple double attempts under his belt. Smoke as he is popularly referred to has been behind the wheel at Indy twice, once in 1999 and again in 2001. He remains the only driver to have finished the complete 1100 miles while being on the lead lap in both races during his final attempt.
