Bad weather didn't just delay the start of Sunday's Indianapolis 500. It also threw off NASCAR star Kyle Larson's bid to become just the fifth driver to do “The Double,” which consists of racing in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. But while Larson won't make it for the start of the Coca-Cola 600, he's currently planning to race in the Indy 500 and still go to Charlotte to enter that race.
With the Indy 500 starting around four hours late thanks to storms, Larson didn't have the time to participate in that race and then make it to Charlotte for the start of the Cup Series race later in the evening. He was at least hoping the rain would actually delay the Indy 500 until Monday so he could still start and complete both races, but that wasn't in the cards either.
Larson addressed the “worst-case scenario” earlier in the day before it was confirmed that he'd be sticking around Indianapolis to make his Indy 500 debut.
“It looks like it's going to be that window where I guess we might be able to get it dry to race today,” Kyle Larson said, per ESPN. “But obviously that affects things for the 600. It's still the weather. You don't know how that is going to go exactly. But the worst-case scenario is happening, which is a bummer. We'll get on the track in something today.”
ESPN laid out Larson's initial plan for pulling off “The Double” feat: “Larson had been planning to follow the blueprint used by others doing The Double: He would finish the Indy 500, take a helicopter to a nearby airfield, board a private jet to Charlotte, then climb into another helicopter for the last hop to Charlotte Motor Speedway. If the Indy 500 began on time, he would have just enough time to make it for the start.”
Kurt Busch was the last driver to attempt “The Double,” which came back in 2014. However, Busch arrived late and wasn't able to finish all 600 miles of the second race. Tony Stewart is the last driver to complete all 1,100 miles of both races, a feat he pulled off in 2001. Mario Andretti's son John Andretti was the first driver to race in both Indianapolis and Charlotte on the same day. Robby Gordon has pulled it off multiple times.
Kyle Larson at the Indy 500
Kyle Larson is currently the NASCAR Cup Series points leader. Larson holds a 30-point lead over Martin Truex Jr., with Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott also within striking distance. Justin Allgaier will start the No. 5 car in Larson's place as he races in Indianapolis, with a switch happening later once the leader arrives in Charlotte.
In Indianapolis, Larson started fifth in the No. 17 car for Arrow McLaren in a joint venture with Hendrick Motorsports. While missing out on a full version of the “The Double” is a bummer, it will be intriguing to see how the NASCAR star fares in the Indy 500 and then how things play out with the trip to Charlotte.
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