CONCORD, N.C. — By Saturday night, Kyle Larson will be back in Indianapolis, ready for a full night’s rest before what he hopes are his most racing miles logged in one day.
On Sunday, he’ll compete in the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500, then fly to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he’ll drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in the Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It’s a redo of last year’s first attempt at the Memorial Day Weekend Double, an 1,100-mile endeavor of racing that went awry in 2024 when weather both in Indy and Charlotte prohibited Larson from ever turning a Sunday lap in his NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet — his day job.
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With a second chance comes less uncertainty. The weather is still a variable, but the logistics laid in place to help Larson, Hendrick Motorsports and IndyCar team Arrow McLaren accomplish their goals naturally have less bugs in the system, so to speak, heading into Year 2.
“Any chance you get an opportunity to have those experiences, good or bad, there’s always a lot to learn and a lot to take away, and we certainly did from last year,” Cliff Daniels, crew chief of the No. 5 Chevrolet, told NASCAR.com. “This year, having been through the motions last year, this year is more straightforward, I would say. To your point, there’s less questions and a lot more answers.
“Still, every year is different. Every experience is different. So there’s a few things we’ve had to adapt to. But overall, we have a great team of people behind the logistics of getting Kyle back and forth. Our team has been through it. So just a lot of really good preparation from everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Arrow McLaren and the 5 team that hopefully we’re in a good spot.”
Like 2024, Larson was in Charlotte Saturday to practice and qualify his Cup car, slotting 20th in practice and qualifying on the front row in second place, with reserve driver Justin Allgaier waiting in the wings if and as needed. Certain unknowns from last year though included when exactly Larson needed to be en route to Charlotte from Indianapolis and how to achieve all the objectives necessary to make that happen seamlessly.
“Last year was just slightly different, you know?” Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman, said Saturday. “And I say that because we were going into it with (the mindset of), ‘This is probably the one and only time that we’re going to do this. This is Kyle’s first time. This is (team owner) Rick Hendrick’s first time.’ And so it was not as easy and clear-cut of a decision as to when we leave Indianapolis. That’s not the case this time. This time, he’ll be here — our goal is driver introductions, which I think is 5:25 (p.m. ET). That is our goal. … It’s a very tight window, but we have a concrete plan in place.”
Through preparing for the 2025 edition of the Double, Larson has crashed twice in the buildup to the Indianapolis 500 but will start 19th Sunday before bolting back to Charlotte. With more repetitions comes more confidence — both behind the wheel and in planning how to put together a cohesive effort.
“I feel like it’s been much smoother,” Gordon said. “I know (IndyCar) practice prior to qualifying didn’t go quite as well from Kyle’s perspective. But otherwise, I think everything has been much smoother and easier just because of what we already know, based on what we did last year.”