By David Morgan, Associate Editor
LEBANON, Tenn. – A week removed from attempting the Double of trying to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte last Sunday, Kyle Larson is clearing the air before getting back to business this weekend in Nashville.
After back-to-back Double attempts were impacted by weather, the first year delaying him from getting to Charlotte on time after an hours long delay in Indianapolis and this year, having weather push start of the 109th Indy 500 back almost an hour, Larson explained that he likely won’t be attempting that feat again anytime in the future.
Logistically, it just makes it tough.
“I don’t think I would do the Double again,” Larson said on Saturday before on-track activity started at Nashville. “But I would like to do the 500 again someday. I would just have to be done Cup racing probably.
“Just everything’s just gotta go perfect. Even looking at the year before, like there was a crash towards the end and the wheel went over the fence and then there was a long delay. Like even something like that that’s not even weather related would probably limit not just myself, but anybody attempting to double. It would just limit them. You don’t have much time.
“You need perfect weather, you need a race that goes pretty clean, all those factors. So yeah, logistically it’s just really, really tough. And two, I mean, I think the Indy 500 starts plenty early and I think the 600 can’t start any later. So yeah, it just makes it tough.”
In the days following last Sunday’s race in Indianapolis, Larson found himself under fire for a gesture he made after Scott McLaughlin crashed on the pace laps following the weather that delayed the start from its original time.
As Larson passed McLaughlin’s disabled Team Penske Chevrolet, he threw a thumbs up out the top of the Aeroscreen, which in turn set the social media world on fire when it came to light.
Larson noted that he is remorseful for the move and wishes he could turn back time and undo it, especially given that it was McLaughlin that it happened to.
Guess im out of the best driver in the world talks. 🤷♂️ https://t.co/CEg0IktCle
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) May 26, 2025
“I felt really bad. You know, even before I knew that it hit the internet,” Larson said.
“I was frustrated because the rain was so light and the delay of the track drying when it was already dry. It took whatever it was, 45 minutes and then we’re coming to get lights out to go green and I see somebody crash. So, then I just kind of reacted and deal with more frustration and, yeah, I shouldn’t have done that.
“Everybody in life wishes that they could go back and not do something or do something differently. That’s one of those moments for me. I feel like I’m usually pretty good about not keying up or not doing gestures and stuff.
“But yeah, I just kind of let my frustration get the best of me there, so was a bit embarrassing and I felt bad. You never wanna see anybody crash out of the biggest race in the world before the green and somebody who has always been super respectful to me and really nice to me. I didn’t even realize it was him until I was close to alongside of him.
“So yeah, I just wish I could take that back.”
After crashing out of the race himself just prior to the halfway point in the race, Larson made it to Charlotte with plenty of time to spare, but his day was about to get a whole lot worse when he also crashed out of the race in Charlotte, having only run 595 miles of the 1,100 he had hoped for at the start of the day.
But Larson was adamant that his trials and tribulations in Indy had no bearing on how things went in Charlotte, it was just a coincidence that he crashed out of both events.
“I had forgotten about it by the time we got in the Cup car [at Charlotte],” said Larson. “And then I just made a mistake in three and then got loose and hit the wall that had nothing to do with what went on at the 500.
“But, you know, I probably would think the same if somebody else was racing. I would be like, okay, you know, they weren’t there mentally or whatever, so I get it. But no, I felt fine. It was just…I make mistakes all the time, so you shouldn’t be surprised.”
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