The only driver who has been able to complete the iconic ‘Double’ is Tony Stewart. In 2001, he completed the 500 miles at the Indianapolis 500 and returned to Charlotte and finished the 600 miles of grueling racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. At Indy, Stewart finished sixth, and at the Coca-Cola 600, he breathed a sigh of relief with a third-place finish. This was Smoke’s second attempt as he wasn’t able to complete the double duty in 1999, and now Kyle Larson is eyeing to repeat of this history. His fans believe he can win the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, eclipsing Stewart’s achievement. Even the former SHR co-owner won’t mind if his record is broken by the HMS star.

“I don’t think it’s out of the realm for him to beat what we did in terms of performance. If anyone’s going to break (Stewart’s feat), I’d like it to be Kyle. … Anytime he’s racing anything, I’m a fan.” Tony Stewart said in an interview. There’s reason for optimism, last year he qualified sixth to start the race and had it not been for the error on pit road, he was in contention for a win. But, fast-forward to 2025, and things are looking bleak for the HMS driver, which has led to Kevin Harvick make a bold prediction on Larson’s attempt at the Indy 500 glory.

Tides are against Kyle Larson at the Indy 500 this year

Although Yung Money has had a pretty good season in the Cup Series so far, upholding his name at the top of the table, in Indy, things have been a bit dicey. This year, Larson was seen struggling to finish his Indy 500 test and practice session twice — once in April and then in May. Both these crashes were due to high temperatures, sudden rain and gusty winds, leading up to several crashes in the 6-hour session. Looking at the damage on the car, it took the mechanics about an hour to fix it. He wasn’t even up to speed in the qualifying, and didn’t shy away from sharing his honest take about the speed on the No. 17 Arrow McLarent Chevy. “I don’t like qualifying here, (The runs) just get sketchier each time you go out.” These incidents raised questions on whether Larson would live up to the billing in bettering Stewart’s record.

Kevin Harvick, on his podcast “Happy Hour,” commented on how these incidents can be detrimental to Larson’s performance on the final day. “I think the goal is to run the 1100 laps, I don’t think he has the chance to win,” said Harvick, indicating that a real shot at winning for him is at Charlotte, not Indy. “I think that he could come back and be a real contender at the Coke 600, yeah, I think just being able to finish on the lead lap in Indy and run all 1100 miles to check that box is probably the most realistic goal for this year,” Kevin emphasized keeping expectations as real as possible. It has to be noted that Larson is starting the Indy 500 in the 21st spot, which is a big fall-off compared to last year’s 6th-place position.

There’s this element of trickery that lingers around this double duty. We all know that last year’s weather forced the driver into making a tough call. Larson ditched the start of the Coca-Cola 600 and stayed at Indy, which led to the playoff waiver drama. This time around, Hendrick Motorsports has made it clear, their driver will prioritize the NASCAR event if rain plays spoilsport. And that added pressure could also play its part in how Larson races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Given the challenges and the hypotheticals involved with this run, it would still be a huge deal if Kyle Larson becomes just the second driver to complete the 1100 miles. This is what Harvick’s co-host, Mamba Smith, felt. “I think the goal should be to run the whole thing. It’s just so hard to do that. But the interesting thing about this, though, is how many wrecks there have been in practice over all, which scares me. The track is treacherous for everybody… so like let’s make sure we get the overall goal, which is to complete all the laps.”

Will Larson finally tick off the double from his bucket list this year? He might have to face some tough challenges, but regarding himself as the “best driver” last year, he is the last person to back down from his promises.

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The ‘Verstappen Question’ Haunts Kyle Larson

While the NASCAR world has its eyes glued to the television for Memorial Day and Larson’s second attempt at Double-Duty, Yung Money faces a tongue-in-cheek comment from fans comparing him to Max Verstappen. The story goes back to Larson’s interview with Flo Racing in 2024, in which the driver declared that he is a better all-round driver as compared to the reigning Formula 1 Champion, Max Verstappen. He declared it owing to his versatility across different forms of track racing.

But according to his recent clarification with The Athletic, he confesses that people have misinterpreted his words. “People act like I’m the one who said, ‘I am the greatest race car driver in the world,'” commented Larson. “I never said that. I just said, ‘I’m a better all-around driver than Max Verstappen.’And they took that as I said, ‘I’m the greatest in the world.’ Because, for some reason, Max is considered the greatest in the world. So it’s funny.” Despite this statement, people haven’t stopped criticizing Larson for even the smallest mistakes he makes on the track.

The statement was mocked by Larson in the hilarious promotional video posted by NASCAR on Tuesday, where the HMS driver is seen entering a room and finding his IndyCar twin waiting for him. They begin questioning each other about various topics, including the joke about his pit road speeding penalty from last year’s Double attempt. And that’s when Larson’s persona comments, “You’re right. We’re both going to get the Verstappen question.” It is as if they are both aware of the criticism that will come if Larson does not finish the 1,100-mile challenge.

But as we near the showdown day, will Larson finally get to shut down these comments with his win?