Connor Zilisch has a mapped trajectory to follow now. Right now, he is in his rookie Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing and is set to take over the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in 2028. He’ll be replacing retiring driver Alex Bowman. Yet beyond the dream move to driver an HMS car on Sunday, Zilisch could be the next driver to attempt the Indy double.
But, Rick Hendrick isn’t too keen about this idea, especially after Kyle Larson’s failed attempts. “I’m done with that. But I’ve learned to say never say never, but it would take a lot of convincing for me to do that again.” He said in an official media availability, shared by Bob Pockrass on X.
Zilisch was somewhere along a similar line of thinking. “It’s something down the road that I’ve always dreamed of, but at the end of the day, I need to focus on what I’m doing on Sundays here before I really focus on stepping outside my comfort zone.”
This is not the first time he has said this. A year ago, when asked about the race by Frontstretch. The conversation started post-race, when in 2025 he won an Xfinity (now O’Reilly) race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the Pennzoil 250; that’s when Zilisch said:
“I definitely want to be settled here before I commit to doing something like that. It’s a big time commitment, and I need to focus on what I’m doing here first. But down the road, if I get settled in and I’m doing well on Sundays, hopefully one day, it’s certainly something that I want to do.”
There is a certain level of alignment in what they both want. On Rick Hendrick’s part, his being “done with it” isn’t really an unfounded statement. He’s experienced that double run with one of his drivers before.
Kyle Larson attempted the Memorial Day Double twice. The Double means racing both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day. Both attempts went badly, and Rick Hendrick was probably the one who suffered on both ends.
In 2024, Larson stayed at Indy despite the rain delay and didn’t start the Coca-Cola 600. After his 18th place finish, he returned to Charlotte, but race had ended because of rain. NASCAR didn’t take this snub kindly, and they delayed his playoff waiver.
That was only part of the problem. NASCAR rules also required a driver to start every regular season race to remain eligible for the playoffs back then. Because Larson had chosen to stay for a non-NASCAR event over a crown jewel race, NASCAR spent nine days deliberating whether to grant him a waiver. A championship-contending team sat in uncertainty the entire time.
In 2025, Larson tried again and crashed out of both races. He later described the pressure from sponsors as turning a dream into an exhausting, high-stakes job. He has since ruled out any future attempt. “I think my days of attempting the double are over.”
Running the Indy double requires sponsorship support, practice runs and media obligation. All of this can be undone by a bad weather scenario. For a rookie still adjusting to a 36-race Cup schedule, that is a huge disruption.
The technical gap between the two series is just as large. NASCAR stock cars weigh around 3,300 pounds and are built to absorb contact. IndyCars weigh roughly 1,600 pounds, run at speeds approaching 240 mph, and even minor wheel contact can send a car airborne. It is a completely different discipline requiring a completely different mindset. Zilisch knows all of this, which is why his stance has been linear.