It's only been done once: Finishing the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. ESPN joins Kyle Larson on his quest to become the second to do it.
He is widely considered to be the most versatile racer of his generation, a modern day A.J. Foyt or Mario Andretti. That's why the idea of taking on arguably the most daunting challenge that American motorsports has to offer, attempting to complete the planet's biggest race and's most grueling race on the same day was so attractive. Because Kyle Larson fears nothing and loses to few.His reaction? To figure out a way to do it all over again.
Larson's day began 19 hours earlier, awakened in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield as the old racetrack was rattled to life by the traditional 6 a.m. cannon shot that signals the opening of the gates. He immediately peeked out of his motorhome and into the sky. The silhouette of the nearby tree line was lined in soft pink and orange, glowing on the eastern horizon over the backstretch. Dawn was breaking with nary a cloud to be seen in any direction.
"Our window was always going to be tight to get to Charlotte for a six o'clock start time," Larson explained."So instead of making that stress any worse, we were pulling for a rainout. Let us go to Charlotte and then come back to Indy on Monday. I know the fans wanted to get it in, but they weren't experiencing the same stress we were."
The roar of the crowd for Larson during driver introductions was easily the loudest of the day. And the crowd around his car on the grid was the largest anyone could ever remember seeing, certainly for a rookie.said, pointing to the mob as he pressed himself against the pit lane wall to stay out of the way."My rookie year I think I had my crew and no one else standing with me. This is great for IndyCar racing. And he could win today. Trust me.
Only 17 minutes after the checkered flag fell, Larson, his brow still crossed over an Indy 500 opportunity he felt that he had blown, was out of the helicopter and walking to the Hendrick Motorsports jet, its engines already running. Five minutes later, he was airborne, changed into a fresh K1 firesuit and with an IV bag of fluids in his arm.The good news? Flying at 540 mph, he would be landing at Concord Regional Airport, only four miles from Charlotte Motor Speedway, in less than an hour.
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