Kyle Larson reveals approach for rare second Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 Double attempt

USA Today

22-05-2025

Kyle Larson reveals approach for rare second Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 Double attempt
Kyle Larson is getting a do-over chance at the "Memorial Day Double" — a grueling day of racing 500 miles in the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon, followed by 600 miles at the Coca-Cola 600 in the evening.
It's a famously brutal 1,100-mile marathon. Six drivers have attempted the Double 11 times, four drivers actually competed in both races in one day, but only Tony Stewart has completed all 1,100 miles on the same day.
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As a full-time NASCAR driver, Larson's first shot at the Double was in 2024 when he made his first attempt at the IndyCar Series' biggest race of the year. He finished 18th, but because of a four-hour weather delay at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he was late to the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and had a backup driver compete in his place until he arrived. But then rain followed him and ended NASCAR's longest race early, so Larson never got behind the wheel of his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
So Larson is trying again with his Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Motorsports IndyCar team before heading to NASCAR. Ahead of his second attempt at the Memorial Day Double on Sunday, here are five things he said during a Zoom press conference Wednesday about his preparation and approach this time around.
Kyle Larson has mastered the learning curve between NASCAR and IndyCar
Sure, NASCAR and IndyCar feature two totally different cars and schedules, but Larson said the two racing series have much more in common than not.
"Maybe that's the most surprising thing, I think, for myself and for everybody," he said. "The learning curve is not much. The cars feel somewhat similar to a Next-Gen car and all that. I mean, once you get to the race, yeah, sure, the race procedures and pit stops and restarts and all that are a little bit different. But as far as just making laps, it's not different, really at all."
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Larson is relying on the same travel logistics as his 2024 Double attempt
Last year after he finished the 2024 Indy 500, Larson took a helicopter to the airport and then a jet to Charlotte before weather ruined the second half of the Coke 600.
"The Hendrick Aviation side does a really good job with logistics and working with [Hendrick] Motorsports to make sure all the timing is right on everything, and everything operates smoothly," Larson said. "We had the weather delay for the Indy 500 last year. But aside from that, the travel side of it was all smooth. So yeah, as far as I know, nothing is different this year."
So many miles behind the wheel will surely take a physical toll on the 32-year-old driver's body, so hydration and nutrition between races will be key. He said he had "a protein bowl sort of thing" and an IV on the plane last year and "felt ready to go" for 600 more miles, but obviously never got the chance.
Larson's 2025 Indy 500 race strategy for starting 21st
Like with any sport, part of Larson's prep for this year's Indy 500 was watching film of last year's Indy 500 — not just to learn from his own performance but also from others'.
"How you pass or how you move forward is being aggressive on starts and restarts, and then having good pit stop exchanges, maybe having some strategy work out in your favor — all the normal things of really any race," Larson said.
"And there's a lot of drivers out there that have never raced on an oval, so they'll all be learning as well. It's not like I'm the only one out there that's trying to learn. I would say a majority of the field doesn't have that much experience."
One mistake in 2024 was on a restart attempt when he suspects he ended up in the wrong gear, which, he said last year, "killed our opportunity." But he's not entirely mad about that error on his part.
"It was nice to have that mistake because then I was mid-pack, and I got to deal with those restarts and stack-ups and trying to pass people and do all that," he continued. "So I felt like there's a lot that I learned last year that — now starting even a little bit further back than where I ended up after that restart — I can hopefully use that little bit of experience to try and get me to the towards the front."
Kyle Larson is one of the world's best drivers, but he's not thinking about GOAT status
The versatile racer has previously talked about wanting to be the best of the best in the motorsports world, but with 1,100 miles on tap for Sunday, he's not thinking about how a successful Double performance could elevate his status.
"I don't really think about any of that a whole lot," Larson said. "I love to race, and I try to do the best job that I can. And usually, if you're doing a good job and you're prepared and all that, the accolades and stuff that go along with it just naturally comes. So same goes for this weekend. If I can just do a good job, and get some good finishes and show that we were capable of running up front with these guys, I think that would do a lot."
And his mindset about having a successful weekend or not seemingly alleviates a little pressure.
"I think there's more positives to be made from the results this weekend than negatives," he added. "I think if I have a bad race or whatever and all that, I don't think it matters as much as if you have a good one and what it does for you."
Larson's second attempt at the Memorial Day Double may not be his last
The Indy 500 is an amazing week-long event that often produces thrilling finishes. So the potential FOMO Larson may feel if he doesn't return to IMS next year is very real. But for now, he said he's not focused on that. Yet.
"I think maybe when I get done with the race, I'll have time to think about that," he said. "But all I can say is it's an amazing event here, and the atmosphere every day is awesome. So if I do miss it ever, it's going to be hard because you'll have a lot of FOMO.
But yeah, it's tough. It's tough logistically, financially, all that to do this. But I'm thankful to have gotten the two chances to run it, and I've loved every minute of it. So I'm not, I'm definitely not closing the door on doing it ever again."
The 2025 Indy 500 is set for Sunday, May 25 with the green flag scheduled to fly at 12:45 p.m. ET.