Kyle Larson’s Indy-Charlotte Double ends with crashes in both Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600

CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson’s second bid at the Indy-Charlotte Double ended on the hook at both ends, as crashes in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 kept him from finishing either race on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend. Larson spun in Turn 2 to trigger a multi-car crash in the Indy 500 on Sunday afternoon, then was involved in two separate accidents during the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the second ending his race after 245 laps.

Larson’s day began with bad echoes of his failed first attempt at The Double in 2024, as a rain shower that briefly delayed the start at Indianapolis put him in a situation where it would be very difficult to both complete the Indy 500 and make it to Charlotte in time for the start of the Coke 600. But just before the halfway mark, Larson no longer had that problem. On a restart, Larson spun out entering Turn 2, triggering a multi-car accident that sent Larson off to Charlotte with a 27th-place finish and spoiled his chances of completing all 1,100 possible miles between the Indy 500 and Coke 600.

“It was a bit crazy there on the start,” Larson told Fox Sports. “I got tight behind Takuma (Sato), I was really close to him. And I think as I finally shaded left, I got loose and kind of got all over the place, so I spun. Just hate that I got a little too eager there on the restart and caused that crash. Hate it for everybody that also got caught up in it. Just bummed out. I’ll try to get over this quickly, get on to Charlotte, forget about it and try to win the next one.”

Initially, things looked good for Larson in Charlotte as he took the lead early from the outside of the front row. But it was all downhill for Larson after he hit the wall and spun coming off Turn 4 midway through the first stage. The contact knocked the toe link of Larson’s car out of alignment, prompting him to make multiple trips down pit road to make repairs and fully evaluate the suspension.

Just as Larson began to work his way back into contention, his race came to an unceremonious end on Lap 245 when Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney made contact coming off Turn 4, sending Briscoe into Daniel Suarez’s right rear and spinning him into Blaney and into the wall. As Suarez slid down the racetrack, he would clip Larson’s car in the right rear and destroy it, forcing Larson to the garage with a 37th-place finish and sealing his fate in failing to complete either race.

Responding to a question by Dustin Long of NBC Sports outside the infield care center, Larson did not immediately commit to whether he would try the Indy-Charlotte Double a third time, having had both of his attempts now end in disappointment.

“I don’t know. It’s so fresh right now I don’t really have a good answer for you,” Larson said. “The Double is just a tough undertaking. The window of time is too tight. Even if I didn’t wreck (at Indy), I don’t think I would have made It here on time and probably would have had to end that race short anyways. So I don’t really think it’s worth it. 

“But I would love to run the Indy 500 again. Just doing the double I think is just logistically too tough.”

Regardless of the outcome, Larson has now successfully become the fifth driver in history to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, joining John Andretti (1994), Tony Stewart (1999, 2001), Robby Gordon (2002-2004) and Kurt Busch (2014). Of that group, Stewart remains the only driver to ever complete all 1,100 possible miles between the two races, doing so in 2001 while finishing sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte.