{"id":48074,"date":"2024-09-11T09:04:20","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T14:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=48074"},"modified":"2024-09-11T09:04:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T14:04:20","slug":"larson-scheduled-for-second-shot-at-the-double-in-may","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/11\/larson-scheduled-for-second-shot-at-the-double-in-may\/","title":{"rendered":"Larson scheduled for second shot at “The Double” in May"},"content":{"rendered":"

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio<\/em><\/p>\n

Midwest weather permitting, NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson will get a second chance to contest and complete \u201cThe Double\u201d on Sunday, May 25th, 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson – (Photo by James Black | IMS Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Larson\u2019s bid for a pair of marquee Memorial Day Weekend victories again will involve a collaboration between Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team and Hendrick Motorsports.   <\/p>\n

In what has been dubbed the #Hendrick1100, Larson will attempt to complete 1,100 miles of INDYCAR and NASCAR racing beginning with the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway _ crown jewel of the NTT IndyCar Series season. Larson will then be flown to Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., for the Coca-Cola 600 _ longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.<\/p>\n

Larson\u2019s No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet will be fielded by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick at \u201cThe Greatest Spectacle in Racing.\u201d Larson will wheel the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet at CMS for \u201cMr. H,\u201d chairman\/CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group.<\/p>\n

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Larson earned Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honors on May 26th<\/sup> by finishing a lead-lap 18th<\/sup> after 200 circuits around the 2.5-mile IMS oval. Larson, who qualified fifth in the traditional 33-car field, capped his performance by leading Laps 180 to 183. Larson earned a $50,000 bonus for ROY honors, adding to a total take-home prize of $178,000.<\/p>\n

However, Larson\u2019s detailed plans to continue his race day at CMS were altered by a midday rainstorm that delayed the start of the Indy 500 by four hours, prompting the decision to remain at Indianapolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed the \u2018Month of May\u2019 in Indy and racing with Arrow McLaren, but I was really disappointed with missing the Coca-Cola 600 with the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team,\u201d Larson said during a press conference at CMS. \u201cI appreciate the second opportunity because we have unfinished business. I really want to complete all 1,100 miles, and I think we have the opportunity to battle for the win in both events.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson, a 32-year-old native of Elk Grove, Calif., underscored his versatility by methodically adapting to INDYCAR\u2019s Dallara\/Chevy open-wheel chassis\/engine combination. Larson set an Indy 500 single-lap rookie qualifying record at 233.543 mph on Lap 1 during top-12 qualifying, en route to advancing to the Firestone Fast Six.<\/p>\n

Eighteen drivers led at least one lap of the 2024 Indy 500, an event-record. The previous record was 15 drivers in 2017 and 2018. Larson was among seven drivers to lead the Indy 500 for the first time, a list that included Scott McLaughlin of New Zealand, Sting Ray Robb, Christian Lundgaard of Denmark, Kyle Kirkwood and fellow-rookies Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands and Christian Rasmussen of Denmark.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle had a great \u2018Month of May\u2019 and showed what a gifted race car driver he is,\u201d said Hendrick, who added Larson to his Cup lineup in 2021. \u201cFrom a sponsorship perspective, we saw an incredible lift for HendrickCars.com and measured a three-to-one return on our investment. It was a monumental effort by all involved, but we didn\u2019t have the opportunity to see it through (because of inclement weather).\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson is one of five drivers to attempt \u201cThe Double\u201d and will become the third to attempt it multiple times, joining three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart and former INDYCAR and NASCAR regular Robby Gordon. None has earned a win in either race, and only one has completed all the laps\/miles _ Stewart in 2001.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone learned a great deal that we\u2019ll take into next year,\u201d Hendrick said. \u201cNow that we\u2019ve experienced it once, we know what to expect, which can only make us better and more prepared. Zak Brown (CEO, McLaren Racing) and the team at Arrow McLaren are tremendous partners, and we\u2019re looking forward to finishing the job together in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson will join Arrow McLaren\u2019s full-time NTT IndyCar Series lineup at IMS led by Pato O\u2019Ward, a native of Mexico with family ties to San Antonio; Nolan Siegel and Lundgaard for the historic 500-miler.<\/p>\n

\u201cKyle showed us all what he was capable of this past May,\u201d said Brown, a native of California who oversees McLaren\u2019s INDYCAR and Formula One programs. \u201cGiven a second chance with better weather conditions, I think we\u2019ll all be excited to see him fight for a win at the Indy 500 and then another one in Charlotte. He\u2019s one of the most talented racing drivers out there, and it\u2019s a privilege to do this again with Mr. Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, who are both world-class. We can\u2019t wait for May.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon, a four-time Cup champion with Hendrick Motorsports, is the organization\u2019s Vice Chairman.<\/p>\n

McLaren Racing was founded by racing driver\/engineer Bruce McLaren of New Zealand in 1963. The team entered its first Formula One race in 1966. McLaren has since won 20 F1 world championships, 186 F1 grand prixs, the Indianapolis 500 three times and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its first attempt.   <\/p>\n

Penske Perfection was on full display during the 108th<\/sup> running of the Indy 500, as Josef Newgarden celebrated the team\u2019s record-extending 20th<\/sup> victory at \u201cThe Brickyard.\u201d Newgarden\u2019s last-lap pass around Arrow McLaren\u2019s O\u2019Ward through Turn 3 of the famed oval allowed him to become the first repeat Indy 500 champion since Team Penske\u2019s Helio Castroneves in 2001-2002.<\/p>\n

Newgarden\u2019s dramatic winning moment was completed in twilight conditions after a midday rainstorm delayed the scheduled start by four hours.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio Midwest weather permitting, NASCAR superstar Kyle Larson will get a second chance to contest and complete \u201cThe Double\u201d on Sunday, May 25th, 2025. Larson\u2019s bid for a pair of marquee Memorial Day Weekend victories again will involve a collaboration between Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team and Hendrick Motorsports.    In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":678,"featured_media":46188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12,11],"tags":[233,421,22,225,16,672],"class_list":["post-48074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indycar","category-nascar","tag-charlotte-motor-speedway","tag-indianapolis-motor-speedway","tag-indycar","tag-kyle-larson","tag-nascar","tag-ntt-indycar-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Kyle-Larson-Indianapolis-500-Practice-By_-James-Black_Large-Image-Without-Watermark_m105792-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-cvo","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48074"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48077,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48074\/revisions\/48077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}