On Sunday at 1:00 AM ET, Kyle Larson was standing in victory lane in Knoxville, Iowa, celebrating his victory in the 62nd Knoxville Nationals after going wire-to-wire in the 50-lap A-Main.
Less than 10 hours later, he had made it to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he was standing at the pagoda to unveil his paint schemes for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600, as part of his first attempt at “The Double”.
Larson will have a mind-bogglingly busy months ahead of him in May, as he juggles the responsibility of preparing for the 2024 Indianapolis 500 with his usual duties as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Announced in January 2023, Larson will become the first driver since Kurt Busch in 2014 to attempt “The Double”, piloting a fourth entry for Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team in the Indianapolis 500.
The Chevrolet-backed entry will carry the No. 17, with sponsorship branding from both Arrow McLaren and HendrickCars.com, Larson’s primary sponsor in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports.
Papaya is about to turn 1100 miles. ? pic.twitter.com/yNdRlP3yQU
— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) August 13, 2023
Hendrick Motorsports has joined in on the fun, as well, designing a brand-new scheme for Larson to run during the Coca-Cola 600. The scheme features accents of the papaya color that McLaren is known for across IndyCar, F1, and other forms of motorsport.
Over the course of his 11-season tenure in the NASCAR Cup Series, Kyle Larson has accumulated 21 victories – 15 of which have come in the last three seasons since joining Hendrick Motorsports.
Early in his NASCAR career, Larson was a product of Chip Ganassi Racing, a championship-winning owner in the NTT IndyCar Series who shuttered his NASCAR program after the 2021 season. When driving the No. 42 Chevrolet, Larson picked up six victories at NASCAR’s top level.
