Kyle Larson is set to become the latest driver to compete in the Memorial Day Weekend double as the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion will pilot the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in the 108th Indianapolis 500 in 2024. Following his first start in the Indy 500, Larson will hop on a plane and travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he will compete in the Coca-Cola 600 in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Hendrick Motorsports is dubbing Larson’s attempt the “Hendrick 1100” and Larson will have special matching paint schemes for the two races.
In all, Larson is looking to become the second driver in history to ever complete all 1,100 miles in a single day. Tony Stewart completed all 600 laps of racing on Memorial Day Weekend in the year 2001. As long as he qualifies into the field, Larson will become the fifth driver to compete in both iconic races on the same day. Larson will join John Andretti (1994), Robby Gordon (1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2004), Tony Stewart (1999, 2001), and Kurt Busch (2014) as the only drivers to accomplish the incredible test of endurance.
While five drivers have gone on to run both races on the same day, six drivers total have attempted to run both races. Davy Jones, who finished 23rd in the 1995 Indianapolis 500, failed to make the field for the Coca-Cola 600 that season in an entry fielded by D.K. Ulrich.
In 1994, John Andretti became the first driver to ever run the Memorial Day double. Andretti finished in 10th place, four laps down, in the Indianapolis 500 for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. Andretti would finish 36th in the Coca-Cola 600 driving for Hagan Racing.
The last driver, previous to Larson’s attempt, to contest the Double was Kurt Busch, who finished an impressive sixth in his first and only Indianapolis 500 start. Busch ran that event for Andretti Autosport. Disappointingly, Busch would finish 40th in the Coca-Cola 600 with Stewart-Haas Racing after an engine failure on Lap 272.
How the drivers who have completed the Memorial Day Double have fared
| Year | Driver | Indy 500 Team | Finish | Laps Comp | Total Laps | Coca-Cola 600 Team | Finish | Laps Comp | Total Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | John Andretti | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | 10th | 196 | 200 | Hagan Racing | 36th | 220 | 400 |
| 1995 | Davy Jones | Dick Simon Racing | 23rd | 161 | 200 | Ulrich Racing | DNQ | -- | 400 |
| 1997 | Robby Gordon | SABCO Racing | 29th | 19 | 200 | SABCO Racing | 41st | 186 | 333 |
| 1999 | Tony Stewart | TriStar Motorsports | 9th | 196 | 200 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 4th | 400 | 400 |
| 2000 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard | 6th | 200 | 200 | Team Menard | 35th* | 389 | 400 |
| 2001 | Tony Stewart | Chip Ganassi Racing | 6th | 200 | 200 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 3rd | 400 | 400 |
| 2002 | Robby Gordon | Team Menard / RCR | 8th | 200 | 200 | Richard Childress Racing | 16th | 399 | 400 |
| 2003 | Robby Gordon | Andretti Green Racing | 22nd | 169 | 200 | Richard Childress Racing | 17th | 275 | 276 |
| 2004 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | 29th** | 88 | 180 | Richard Childress Racing | 20th | 397 | 400 |
| 2014 | Kurt Busch | Andretti Autosport | 6th | 200 | 200 | Stewart-Haas Racing | 40th | 271 | 400 |
| 2024 | Kyle Larson | Arrow McLaren | -- | -- | 200 | Hendrick Motorsports | -- | -- | 400 |
*Due to a three-plus hour weather delay at the Indianapolis 500, P.J. Jones started the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 in place of Robby Gordon. Gordon would take over for Jones once he arrived in Charlotte, but Jones was officially credited with the start and points for the finish.
**With the Indianapolis 500 race win out of reach, Jacques Lazier took over for Robby Gordon during a rain delay in the 2004 Indy 500. Lazier drove the final 61 laps of the event for Gordon, who flew to Charlotte and finished 20th in the Coca-Cola 600.
