CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson is doubling up on his attempt to complete the “Double.”
Larson, Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren Racing announced Tuesday that Larson will again attempt to run both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 2025.
While it was expected that Larson would make a second try to complete the “Double” after a failed attempt this year, that decision was officially confirmed during a news conference that included Larson, NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, Hendrick executive Jeff Gordon and McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
Larson is a full-time competitor in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series driving for Hendrick, which partnered with McLaren’s IndyCar program to field a car for Larson so that he could make his first attempt to contest the 2024 Indianapolis 500. To pull off the “Double” requires that Larson race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then fly to North Carolina to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in NASCAR’s longest race, a feat that entails a total of 1,100 miles across two tracks in two different types of cars.
But Larson’s attempt this year to become the fifth driver to complete the “Double” was scuttled when rain delayed the start of the Indianapolis 500 by several hours. That forced Hendrick to decide whether Larson would remain at IMS to race the entirety of the 500 — where he qualified fifth in his IndyCar debut — or skip the event to fulfill his NASCAR commitments. Hendrick opted to have Larson do the entire race at Indianapolis and miss the start of the Cup race.
Larson finished 18th in the Indianapolis 500, a result that would’ve likely been better had he not sped on pit road during a cycle of green-flag pit stops. After the race, he quickly made his way to Concord, N.C., to take over driving duties of the No. 5 Hendrick car just past the halfway point of NASCAR’s longest race. (Justin Allgaier started the car in Larson’s place.) That plan, too, was washed away when the race was stopped due to rain and never restarted with Larson never getting in the car.
“Disappointed,” Larson said after NASCAR called the race short of the scheduled distance. “It just sucks.
“Everything that could have went wrong today, went wrong. Hopefully, I get to do it again in the future and hopefully the weather is better.”
To compete in NASCAR’s playoffs, drivers must start every race. Because Larson did not start the Cup race, he was forced to ask NASCAR for a waiver to make him playoff-eligible. After a prolonged deliberation, NASCAR eventually granted Larson’s request. Had Larson started the Charlotte race, he would’ve won the Cup regular-season championship as he lost the title by one point to Tyler Reddick.
Larson ranks 10th in the Cup playoff standings heading into Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen, with the top 12 advancing to the next round. He is 15 points above the cutoff with two Round 1 races remaining.
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(Photo of Kyle Larson: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
