Kyle Larson’s Memorial Day weekend just took a wild turn! A spin, to be more precise. The NASCAR superstar set out to conquer “The Double” on May 25, racing the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in one day, a 1,100-mile gauntlet that’s as grueling as it sounds. This run, in particular, was seen as redemption, a second bite at the Indy 500 cherry for the HMS driver after last year’s disappointment. But things got messy for him early in the race.

With the race already starting with a delay due to rain showers, Larson was running against the clock to get back to Charlotte. Being mired in traffic, starting the race in 19th, he found a window of opportunity during the Lap 91 restart, and he took it. But as he exited Turn 2, he downshifted, and this caused his car to spin. Next thing you know, he was slipping and sliding, collecting multiple cars with him, and ended up crashing into the wall.

That was it, no more Cinderella story for Kyle Larson, and once again his attempt to complete the iconic Double ended in heartbreak. He was lost for words and sounded dejected in the interview after being released from the infield car center. “Yeah, it was a bit crazy at the start. I got tight behind Takuma, I was really close to him, and I think, as I finally got maybe a shade left of him, I haven’t seen the replay, I got loose and kind of got all over the place.”

“Just hate that I was a bit too eager there on the restart, that caused that crash. Hate it for everybody that also got caught up in it. Just bummed out.” The incident unfolded on a restart when Larson, running close to Takuma Sato, tried to make a move but lost control, spinning out and collecting Kyffin Simpson and Sting Ray Robb in the mayhem. “When Kyle started losing it and checking up, I tried to go around the outside and there was just no grip out there,” Robb said, summing up the chaos that left all three drivers out of the race.

The only positive that came out of his crash was that Larson wouldn’t have to worry about making it back to Charlotte Motor Speedway in time. While this result will sting hard for the NASCAR star driver, his job for the day isn’t done just yet. “Trying to get over this quickly and will get to Charlotte and forget about it and try to,” Larson added, already shifting focus to the 600, where he can still defend his points lead and the advantage he has.

Catherine Legge’s NASCAR wreck: A parallel path of chaos

Larson isn’t the only driver whose crossover dreams hit a wall this weekend. Catherine Legge’s IndyCar-to-NASCAR journey offers a striking parallel, with her own wreck causing a ripple effect of drama. Legge, a 44-year-old British racing veteran, has been a trailblazer, holding the record for the fastest qualifying effort by a woman in IndyCar history with a 231.627 mph run in 2013.

She raced in IndyCar from 2012 to 2013, with a best finish of 9th at Auto Club Speedway in 2012, before transitioning to NASCAR’s Xfinity Series in 2018, where she competed in two races. But, she decided to go big and became the first driver since Danica Patrick to make her debut in the Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway, and it was one she would like to forget.

With 100 laps to go, she pushed into the side of Josh Berry, and the contact sent her spinning. She managed to get hold of her car, but Danile Suarez, an innocent bystander, was caught up in the mess. And he questioned NASCAR for allowing non-experienced drivers to compete in the premier series. “I believe she got set up for failure. It doesn’t matter if you’re a great driver or a bad driver — if you’re thrown into one of the most difficult series in the world to be competitive, that’s not fair. I was more disappointed in NASCAR than her.”

Both drivers did get on a call, but it seems like Legge has changed her plans for the year, competing in the Cup Series. She will skip the intermediate and the superspeedway track and focus on road course races. Larson’s switch from NASCAR to IndyCar has been smooth, and the same can be said for Legge.