Kyle Larson will again chase 1,100-mile history, with a sharpened focus
Kyle Larson has always been fast, and now, he’s even more focused.
The NASCAR star is once again taking on one of the most grueling challenges in motorsports: Running the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. For the second consecutive year, Larson will attempt to complete 1,100 miles of racing in a single day — a high-stakes test of stamina, skill and adaptability.
It’ll mean more than seven hours behind the wheel of two drastically different race cars on two of racing’s most iconic stages. Few drivers have attempted this feat. Only Tony Stewart has successfully finished both events in one day, completing the vaunted “Double” in 2001.
Last year’s efforts were promising — until rain washed away Larson’s shot at running in the race at Charlotte — and gave him invaluable perspective as he gets another chance at history.
“I was really focused on it all too, but I was also trying to soak in the whole event and really just take it all in,” Larson said. “Whereas this year, I’ve already done that side of it before, so I feel like I’m more prepared on what to look for in the car. Trying to be a little bit more aggressive on my cockpit adjustment tools that I have and all that.
“So on the competition side, I just feel a little bit more prepared, because I’ve done it before, and have an understanding of the feeling that I need. Last year, I felt really prepared as well. It was different, I guess, going around your first time.”
Close call
The driver’s preparation hit a literal bump before securing himself a starting spot in the Indy 500.
Larson crashed during a practice session at Indianapolis, as his No. 17 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet spun out and bumped into the wall.
Larson, who qualified to start the Indy 500 in 21st place Saturday, confirmed he was feeling all right as he emerged from the medical center with a smile on his face, emphasizing that his team is going to be fine and expects the car to continue running fast.
“It’s just a bummer to spin and hurt the car again, but I think we’ll be fine,” Larson said Friday. “We wanted to come back out, make sure we were up to speed and see that the car was fine, and thankfully it was.”
If there’s a driver whose confidence wouldn’t waver after a high-profile wreck? That would be Larson, according to his fellow Cup Series competitors.
“Wreck in any circumstance, I typically take a little longer to get back up to speed,” Denny Hamlin said at North Wilkesboro. “If there’s anybody who can brush it off and just go back out there with, ‘I’m going to enter this corner the exact same way I did previously, and I’m going to live with the result,’ it would probably be Kyle.”
Adapting to new IndyCar systems
Part of this year’s challenge is technical.
IndyCar’s new hybrid engine system brings a new dimension to the cockpit. Using an energy storage capacitor, the system allows drivers to give their cars a boost — similar to the former “push-to-pass” feature, but without a usage limit.
Drivers must lift off the throttle to recharge it. This nuance is something to which even seasoned IndyCar veterans are adapting, not only Larson.
More than 350,000 fans are expected to fill the grandstands Sunday at the Indy 500. It marks the prestigious event’s first sellout in nine years, prompting the local TV blackout of the live broadcast to be lifted in Central Indiana.
From dirt tracks to the 2021 Cup Series championship, Larson is a winner across nearly every discipline of motorsports.
But there’s no event like the Indy 500, and NASCAR’s points leader is locked into it for the second consecutive year.
“It’s a massive event,” Larson said. “I’m sitting on pit wall (Thursday) waiting to go out, just for pit stop practice. And there’s still thousands of people here watching. I don’t get to race anywhere that has the number of people here just to watch cars go around the track by themselves. Just that alone makes it feel like such a big event.
“It’s a lot of fun to be here, and fun to see the fans and crowd get into it. And there’s so many kids here too, which is really cool to see. That’s great for the health of racing and this event especially. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m thankful to be here.”