Kyle Larson “never thought,” he would have the opportunity to race in the Indy 500

Kyle Larson will become the fifth driver to race in Coca-Cola 600 and Indy 500 on the same day in motorsports history.

Kyle Larson “never thought,” he would have the opportunity to race in the Indy 500

Kyle Larson

Arrow McLaren gave an opportunity to 2021 Cup champion Kyle Larson that he has been waiting to hear for ages. He finally has the opportunity to race in the open-wheel Classic Indy 500, something he dreamed of doing as a youngster. Larson will race with the racing giants in Brickyard with Hendrick Motorsports as his sponsor.

Larson will become the fifth NASCAR driver to run the double. On the same day, he has to run in the Coco Cola 600. The last driver to run double duty on memorial Weekend was Kurt Busch in 2014. He finished P6 Brickyard but was forced to retire early in Charlotte due to a mechanical issue. Larson will also change history as all 4 drivers who ran double duty before he failed to win a single race, and he will hope to win one.

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Larson has been dreaming of the Indy opportunity for many years but wasn’t able to secure one though out the years, making it more special for him. He told the RACER,  “The Indy 500 is such a prestigious event in all of the motorsports. I never thought I’d be there. I know it’s going to be special to be able to walk out onto the grid next year and be a part of it,”.

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The early announcement gives enough time to prepare for the open-wheel spectacle physically. He added, “Yes, it’s a long way away from the event, but I like that better because now I can have all this time to focus on doing the right things to train and get better. Not only physically but behind the wheel.

“Time on the simulator. Time behind the wheel of an actual IndyCar and hopefully, getting to do some testing before Indianapolis next year. I’m glad that it’s going to be next year’s Indy 500 and not this year’s,” He revealed his plans for the 2024 race.  

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Kyle Larson reveals that racing in Indianapolis is special for him

Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson

Larson once lived in Indianapolis during his breakout years in the USAC series, which got him into NASCAR. He always saw the city as a second home and had many friends there who liked to see him succeed.  As Bryan Clauson did, Larson wants to represent the dirt racing community in the event.

“To do the Indy 500 is special because I did live in Indianapolis for a couple of years around the breakout point of my career that got me to NASCAR. So, in 2011, and 2012, I raced a lot of USAC races around the Indianapolis area. Indy’s always felt like another home to me; I’ve got a lot of friends there, friends who are like family So that also adds to the prestige to me, being a local dirt track kid,” says Kyle Larson.  

“Bryan Clauson competed in (the 500) a few times and I was always jealous of him getting those opportunities, and got to talk to him a lot about it. And that he competed in it while also doing the dirt stuff was, I thought, a very throwback thing to do. I’m glad I can add my name to another list with him on it, and hopefully, I can do all the dirt track fans proud,” Larson added.

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