CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One year removed from his second and most recent try at the Double, Kyle Larson is able to look back and smile. Both attempts to complete 1,100 miles in the same day — starting with the Indianapolis 500 and finishing with the Coca-Cola 600 — went awry, with inclement weather the culprit in 2024 and both weather and crashes affecting the try in 2025.
In “Kyle Larson vs. The Double,” launching Thursday on Prime Video, fans will get a behind-the-scenes look at the Californian’s herculean efforts across the two famed venues and racing disciplines.
Larson invited camera crews into the most private environments, including race shops, planes and even his home. More than two years of filming were cut down into just over 90 minutes, and days before the official release, the 33-year-old — who became just the fifth driver to make the historic attempt — couldn’t be prouder.
WATCH NOW | Documentary live on Prime Video
“It turned out really good,” Larson told NASCAR.com on Monday, standing on the blue carpet before a private screening of the film. “You’re never sure how it’s quite going to turn out when you’re not the one piecing it together, so I was happy with how good of a job they did. In my mind, the competition side of it didn’t go quite like I had hoped, so I was just like ‘man, I don’t know how they’re gonna make this thing entertaining.’ But I actually feel like it made it more entertaining, just seeing all the motion and drama behind the experience.
“Just happy to get it out there, and kind of put the final closing on the Double.”
More than 100 members from Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR attended the first screening of the feature-length film, which opened with remarks from Jeff Gordon, Hendrick’s vice chairman, and John Dahl, NASCAR’s senior vice president of content — both executive producers of the documentary. Afterward, Larson and director Cynthia Hill took the stage, reflecting on the marathon shoot and friendships forged along the way.
Every aspect of Larson’s first attempt in 2024 had cameras covering it. Starting with the IndyCar simulator and moving to the Arrow McLaren shop, he quizzes 2013 Indy 500 champion Tony Kanaan, who also served as Larson’s stand-by driver and coach. Larson then tested an IndyCar at Phoenix Raceway — site of both his Cup Series championships — before hitting the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway that April.
But as race day neared and weather became a factor in both Indianapolis and Charlotte, Larson and Hendrick Motorsports were concerned. Camera crews sit in as Hendrick Motorsports’ Rick Hendrick, Gordon and crew chief Cliff Daniels decide to let Larson prioritize Indy instead of the Cup Series, understanding the consequences. After ultimately missing the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, it took multiple weeks for NASCAR to grant Larson — who led Cup points before Memorial Day weekend — a waiver to remain eligible for the playoffs.
But believe it or not, Larson didn’t quite live all of it. By watching the film for the first time, he gained perspective on Daniels and the No. 5 team as they made preparations for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and the Coca-Cola 600 — all while he raced several hundred miles away in Indy.
“Anything that I got to see on here that I didn’t actually live through myself was great,” Larson said. “It’s so easy to think about all the negative sides of not completing the Double that this was a good reminder of how much I loved the experience and had so much fun on qualifying days, the practice days and just different team events. It was just a good reminder that, yeah, it wasn’t all bad.”
RELATED: More information about the film
The documentary also expands on the upbringing and career of the superstar, starting with home videos and narrations from his father, Mike. Beginning his Cup Series career with Chip Ganassi Racing, Larson also opens up about his 2020 suspension from NASCAR after saying a racial slur on a livestream. Fans see how he learned from that mistake, and less than a year later, Hendrick signed him, leading to a 2021 season for the ages with 10 wins and a series title.
“I just want [fans] to have their own opinion,” Larson said. “I just hope they enjoy the film and what it takes, because being a race-car driver is not easy, and I think that’s what this showcases, is that not everything goes exactly how you want it in life, but you’re going to persevere and you’ll come out a stronger human being, or athlete or whatever the case may be.
“It didn’t quite go perfectly with the weather. Both years you have weather delays, obviously the first being catastrophic — and then the second year, even the delay that we had before the 500 — it was ultimately going to keep us from finishing the 500 even without me crashing. I wish I didn’t crash, but odds are I still was probably not gonna be able to finish the race, which was a bummer. So yeah, that was the most upsetting part, but still overall, the experience was awesome.”
“Kyle Larson vs. The Double” premieres Thursday on Prime Video, leading into the platform’s telecast of Sunday’s crown-jewel Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).