When Hendrick Motorsports announced that Kyle Larson would be doing “The Double” this year, there was an option to return in 2025. There is a real possibility that two NASCAR drivers could enter the Indianapolis 500 next year.
The name most often associated with running both races (Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600) had been another Kyle. Back in 2017, Kyle Busch had a deal lined up to make his Indy debut, only to have it shut down by car owner Joe Gibbs.
Richard Childress is his car owner now, and he is supportive of Busch doing the 500 next year.
In an interview with NBC Sports during the All-Star race weekend, Childress clarified his stance on the subject. “We’ve talked a little about it,” Childress said. “The right opportunities, the right team, the right situation, we would do it and I’m sure Kyle would do it. It’s Kyle’s call to make that decision but I would support it for sure.”
Kurt Busch ran his lone Indy 500 a decade ago with Michael Andretti’s team. Kyle watched his brother earn a 6th place finish at Indy, but a blown engine in the Cup race put a damper on his big day. Now it’s Larson’s chance at 1,100 miles on Sunday — weather permitting.
Oddly enough, that was a ride that Busch thought he had secured. During an interview with FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass last May, Busch was asked about that opportunity.
“Larson got the ride that I was slated to get,” the two-time Cup champion said. “He’s got that locked up for two years, so I don’t know if it’ll ever happen. Unfortunate for me wanting to go there and run the Indy 500. I had a sponsor lined up to do it with and been told ‘no’ everywhere. ‘We don’t have room,’ or whatever it might be. It’s really frustrating.”
Childress has been involved with “The Double” before. In 2002 he partnered with IndyCar team owner John Menard with Robby Gordon behind the wheel. Gordon finished 8th at Indy and 16th in Charlotte for Richard Childress Racing.
One of the key components to this now is having a Playoff spot locked up in NASCAR. Larson has already done that, so there is less pressure than if he didn’t have a race win already. That is something that Busch will find much more difficult next year. Busch remains winless this year in his second full-time season with RCR.
There is a reason why only two drivers (Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon) have ever finished both races on the same day.
There are many requirements that a NASCAR driver must meet to make this work. Skill, sponsorship money, bravery, a willingness to fail, and a major time investment are just some of them. Even with all of that, team owners and sponsors also have to sign off on it. The risk is high and the odds are low, but the reward could be life-changing.
If the door closes on Busch again, which Cup drivers could potentially join Larson in Indy next year?
Christopher Bell
Kyle’s former teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing is another strong candidate. Similar to Larson, he is oozing with talent and his open-wheel background in sprint cars would help. Bell is still coming into his own in Cup, and is focused on winning a championship – something Larson and Busch have already accomplished. Gibbs nixing Busch’s deal in 2017 doesn’t bode well for Bell’s chances.
Chase Briscoe
Another open-wheel guy that could come into play is Briscoe, a native Hoosier. Driving for a team owner like Stewart would certainly boost his chances of pursuing the opportunity, but the future of SHR looks shaky right now. Chase also doesn’t seem to have a huge desire to do it. If that changes, finding a team that wants to put him in a car might be complicated.
Austin Cindric
Like Briscoe, Cindric has strong ties to Indiana. His father is Tim Cindric, head of IndyCar operations at Team Penske. In all of the different disciplines that Cindric has competed in, IndyCar is not one of them. His size (height) could be problematic, in addition to finding a team. Penske is not known for running one-off entries in the race, but they have an alliance with AJ Foyt Racing.
Jimmie Johnson
The wildcard in this group of drivers is the seven-time Cup champion. Johnson made his Indy 500 debut two years ago with Chip Ganassi and performed well. Now that he is back in NASCAR as a team owner doing one-off races, Johnson would feasibly have the opportunity to run at Indy again.
Johnson will be doing a different “double” this year, joining NBC on the Indy 500 broadcast before flying to Charlotte to drive in the Cup race. It may be a long shot, but one that Johnson has surely been thinking about.
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