Kyle Larson relives failed ‘Double’ attempt as he considers trying again

After his attempt to run “The Double” failed due to rain in 2024, Kyle Larson ran it back the next year.

Larson aimed to become just the second person to complete both the Indy 500 at Indianapolis and the Coke 600 at Charlotte on the same day, joining Ton Stewart in 2001 when he had already become one of five drivers to even attempt it.

However, Larson crashed on the 92nd lap of the Indy 500, ending the dream (rain delayed the start of the Indy500 by 45 minutes, so he probably wouldn’t have been able to make it to Charlotte in time anyway).

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Because of the crash at Indianapolis, Larson was able to hop on a plane to Charlotte, but he also crashed in that race. It was the first time since 1997 that a driver failed to complete both races.

It’s just a long day. It’s just a really long day. It starts very early in Indy, your first meetings are at 8:30, 9:00 in the morning or something. When you think from then until this Coke 600 is finished at the end of the night, it’s probably 11:15pm at the earliest. It’s just a really long day of work,” Larson told Pakinomist Digital.

“So for me it takes more mental toughness than anything else, but it’s still really cool to compete in two of the biggest races in the world, the spectacle that comes with it and all that.”

Larson’s journey trying the double will be featured in an Amazon Prime Video documentary, “Kyle Larson vs. The Double,” out next week.

“It’s a cool experience, number one, but I think also just to give the fans an inside perspective on what it takes to prepare for the Indy 500, learn something new, but also what it takes to try to be ready to compete in 1,100 miles of racing in one day with the Indy 500 and the Coke 600,” Larson said of the documentary.

“Also to show people my journey growing up and my love for racing and all that, but also to show how hard it was, the stress, the emotions, everything that came with trying to complete it and not being able to. I think it captured everything you need for a good movie, the drama and the emotions and everything else.”

Larson admittedly didn’t want to go through all those emotions looking back, but he’s glad he did.

“It was honestly really cool for me to relive and see where my head was in all of this. You forgot how stressed I was. So it was just good to relive it…” he said.

Kyle Larson hits the wall in turn two during the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 25, 2025. (Jamie Gallagher/AP)

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“It was cool just watching my family videos from when I was really young to my kids because they filmed me for three years before,” Larson continued. “So even seeing my kids as smaller versions of themselves right now, seeing how their personalities are different even today than they were back then is amazing. There were some memories that weren’t the funnest to relive in the moment, but I had no problem going through it again because it was cool.”

“It was a lot of fun and very interesting and part of putting a deal and a business deal together that was a great experience for me and for Hendrick (Motorsport) and for Kyle and being able to document all of that,” added Jeff Gordon, who is featured in the documentary as co-owner of Larson’s team. “It’s only been done less than a handful of times. This shows you why, because it’s a very difficult thing. You have to have a lot of things that really align. It’s very easy for them not to, as a lot of people will witness through this documentary. But at the same time, I’m so glad we were a part of it and a part of Kyle’s journey and that we documented it.”

So is the double on the cards for the future? Unlikely.

“Just 30 minutes of rain can just derail it, so it was just hard to live through. You never say you never try to run the Indy 500 again one day, but as long as I’m a full-time NASCAR driver, I just won’t be able to (attempt the double),” he said. “And if I never get to drive the Indy 500 again, I’m totally fine with that, too.”

Kyle Larson waits for practice to start for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 23, 2025. (Michael Conroy/AP)

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But Larson was paid back after going through hell on back-to-back Memorial Day Weekends.

“I got paid back with a brick wall and championship,” said the reigning NASCAR Cup Series winner.