What Is The Indianapolis 500 And Coca-Cola 600 Double?
What Is The Indianapolis 500 And Coca-Cola 600 Double?
Kyle Larson loves driving race cars, and he’ll prove that passion by attempting “The Double” this year – the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
If it has tires and a steering wheel, Kyle Larson has driven it — or would be happy to try.
The 31-year-old from California has become one of the most familiar faces in racing, taking every opportunity to hit the dirt or pavement.
Larson has risen through the ranks of NASCAR, but FloRacing fans might know him better from the time he spends on America’s dirt tracks, competing in dozens of prestigious events each year. If there’s a NASCAR, Midget, Sprint Car or Late Model race happening, keep an eye out for Larson.
- Subscribe To FloRacing To Watch Live Dirt, Pavement, Drag And Action Racing
- Here's The 2024 Indianapolis 500 Entry List
- Kyle Larson's May Racing Schedule: A Day-By-Day Breakdown
- Kyle Larson Passes Rookie Test, Cleared To Qualify For Indy 500
This year, with some creative travel plans and help from his teams/sponsors, Larson will further broaden his horizons by attempting something only four other drivers in history have tried – racing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same year.
You might be thinking, ‘what’s so special about competing in two big races?’
Here's What To Know About The Double
For starters, other than being held on the same day (Sunday, May 26) in different states, they’re a combined 1,100 miles and require the mastery of two completely different kinds of cars.
The Indianapolis 500 is being held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis and is scheduled to begin around 12:45 p.m. EDT. It’s a 500-mile trek that requires 200 laps around the 2.5-mile oval.
The Coca-Cola 600, possibly the most grueling race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, takes place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is scheduled to get underway at 6:00 p.m. EDT. The race, which Larson won in 2021, is a 600-mile journey that includes 400 laps around the 1.5-mile speedway. More about the Coca-Cola 600 here.
Though they’re in the same time zone, the distance between Indianapolis and Charlotte is about 430 miles by air and 575 by car, so probably not close enough for him to make the drive — even in a race car. The flight time is just over an hour.
What makes Larson’s plans even more impressive is that he only just recently completed his Rookie Orientation Program, which now will allow him to attempt to qualify for the 2024 Indianapolis 500. He has since blazed around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at more than 226mph.
In the Indianapolis 500, he’ll join McLaren Racing as part of Arrow McLaren’s lineup, and the Chevy he’ll be driving will be sponsored by HendrickCars.com.
On the NASCAR circuit, Larson drives the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, and he’s no stranger to the spotlight. On May 5, he won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway by the closest margin in series history – 0.001 seconds – over Chris Buescher.
As mentioned previously, Larson is looking to become the fifth driver in history to compete in both races in the same day. Of the four before him, only one has completed all 1,100 miles.
See the list below:
Drivers To Race In The Indianapolis 500 And Coca-Cola 600 In The Same Year
- John Andretti (1994)
- Robby Gordon (1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004)
- *Tony Stewart (1999, 2001)
- Kurt Busch (2014)
*Only Stewart completed both races, which he did in 2001.
**Davy Jones tried the Double in 1995. He qualified for the Indy 500 but didn't qualify for the Coca-Cola 600.
How To Watch The 2024 Indianapolis 500
NBC Sports will provide coverage of the 2024 Indianapolis 500 on NBC, Peacock and Universo (Spanish), which will log more than 60 hours of programming this year.
Pre-race coverage on May 26 will begin exclusively on Peacock at 9 a.m. Eastern, then move to Peacock and NBC at 11 a.m. EDT. The race is scheduled to begin around 12:45 p.m. EDT.
A post-race show will be shown on Peacock Premium. All broadcasts will be available for streaming on Peacock, the NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com.
FloRacing will provide results, editorial content and more throughout May, as the festivities in Indianapolis will get underway May 14 with the start of practice. Qualifying will be May 18-19.
Schedule For The 2024 Indianapolis 500
To follow the FloTrack coverage, click HERE.
Results For The 2024 Indianapolis 500
Results For the 2024 Indianapolis 500 will be available here.
Check out the official Indianapolis 500 race hub HERE.
FloRacing Is The Streaming Home For Many Racing Events Each Year
Don’t miss all the dirt, pavement, drag, action racing and more, much of which can be enjoyed live on FloRacing. Check out the FloRacing schedule for more events.
FloRacing Archived Footage
Video footage from the event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloRacing subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscription.
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