How the Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 'Double' works

Starting this week, Larson will have a hectic month of May, travelling to Indianapolis and North Carolina several times to drive two completely different cars.

The 32-year-old Californian spent Tuesday, 13-15 May at Indianapolis for practice.

On Friday, 16 May, he will again take part in Indy 500 practice at noon local time.

In theory, he should be travelling back to Charlotte, 437 miles away by plane, for NASCAR’s All-Star Race practice at 5pm and 7pm, but this year his Hendrick Motorsports team will again run Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier in practice and qualifying in Larson’s car.

Allgaier will not be eligible to take part in the All-Star Race race itself, so if Larson can’t make it back to in time, his No5 car will not compete.

The following day, Saturday 17 May, Larson will take part in Indianapolis 500 qualifying for at 11am.

That afternoon Larson will need to be at Charlotte again as the NASCAR All-Star Race Heat races begin at 5.10pm.

On Sunday, the Arrow McLaren driver will then take part in Indy 500 qualifying – if he is either in the top 12 cars, or bottom four. Depending on his position, he may start at 1pm (Top 12) or 2pm (Last Chance qualifiers), and stay there until late in the evening.

However, should Larson make the Fast Six in qualifying (6.25pm), he won’t take part, instead electing to start the 500 sixth and instead fly to Charlotte for the All-Star race, which starts at 8pm on Sunday night May 18.

“Hopefully we run into that predicament because that means our car is fast,” Larson said. “It would be extremely nice to go for the pole at the Indianapolis 500, but at the same time, it’s hard to turn down an opportunity to race for a million dollars. Hopefully we’re in that predicament.”

After that, things slow down a bit for Larson, who can focus on Indy 500 practice on Monday 19 May and Friday 23 May (Carb Day).

By Saturday, things will get busy again, as he has to attend the Indianapolis 500 public drivers meeting at 10.30am before travelling back to Charlotte for practice at 1.30pm and qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 at 2.40pm.

And then comes the big day, Sunday 25 May.

The Indianapolis 500 kicks off at 12.45pm, which gives Larson five hours and 15 minutes before he has to change into his Hendrick Motorsports overalls for the 6pm start of the NASCAR race.

That, in theory, is enough time to complete the Indianapolis race and travel to Charlotte to race for another 600 miles. But as he learned last year, all circumstances need to play in his favour, and a simple weather disruption can ruin the entire plan.

Who has attempted the Double before?

Apart from Larson’s 2024 attempt, there have been several drivers who have tried to complete the Double in the past, but only one has been successful in completing all 1,100 miles.

John Andretti – 1994

John Andretti was the first driver to attempt the feat in 1994, and he successfully managed to start both races.

He finished 10th in an AJ Foyt entry at Indianapolis before travelling to Charlotte, where he faced logistical challenges, including not being allowed to land his helicopter at the Speedway.

In the NASCAR race, which he had to start from the back after missing the drivers’ meetings, he was forced to retire after 220 laps due to an engine failure, falling 180 laps short of the 1,000-mile goal.

Robby Gordon – 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004

With five attempts, Robby Gordon is the driver with the most tries at the Double, although none of them fully successful.

In 1997, the Indy 500 got delayed to Monday because of rain, so Gordon had no chance of taking part in both races on the Sunday.

Another rain delay in 2000 meant Gordon didn’t make it in time for the Charlotte race start, taking over his car from P.J. Jones halfway through the race to finish 11 laps down.

2002 was Gordon’s best attempt, with an 11th-place finish in Indianapolis followed by a 16th-place finish in Charlotte, where he fell painfully short of the 1,100 miles after crossing the chequered flag one lap down.

In 2003, he retired from the Indy 500, and in 2004 he left to travel to Charlotte after just 27 laps.

Tony Stewart – 1999, 2001

Tony Stewart remains the only driver to have completed all 1,100 miles of the Double, and he did it in style, too.

Having achieved a strong sixth at Indianapolis, he crossed the finish line in fourth at Charlotte, covering all 1,100 miles after finishing in the lead lap in both races.

In 1999, Stewart also completed both races but finished four laps down at Indianapolis, thus falling short of the 1,100-mile mark.

Kurt Busch – 2014

Kurt Busch was another driver who managed to make the start of both races, but failed to complete the challenge.

Busch had an impressive run in the Indy 500 with a sixth-place finish, but then suffered an engine failure at Charlotte, leaving him about 200 miles short of finishing both races.