Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon, left, and driver Kyle Larson share in NASCAR Cup victory celebration earlier this season at Richmond, Va. They head to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Verizon 200 Sunday on the road course.
(JARED C. TILTON PHOTO FOR GETTY IMAGES)
(JARED C. TILTON PHOTO FOR GETTY IMAGES)
By Al Stilley
Editor
“We’re going to do it; we’re going to do it.”
With those words from adopted Hoosier and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon, the path is set for multi-talented 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson to enter the Indianapolis 500 field in 2024 with Arrow McLaren. The Dallara racecar will be powered by Chevrolet and sponsored by Hendrick Cars.com.
“I want to be ready for it; (understand) when they tell me to do this or that,” said Larson, whose racing pedigree includes all forms of open wheel competition. “This will be different than anything I’ve ever been in. I want to be prepared for the event; just not be surprised by anything.”
Larson, 30, aims to be the fifth driver to run “The Double” – the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day (May 26, 2024).
John Andretti with the partial backing of the late Jonathan Byrd of Greenwood was the first to do “The Double,” followed by Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Kurt Bush. Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles. No driver to attempt “The Double” has ever won either race on the same day.
“I have yet to be behind the wheel of the car,” Larson said. “I want to soak up as much knowledge as I can while I’m here … obviously I want to do a good job.”
Larson also is realistic about racing on the world’s best-known speedway, saying, “I’m a little nervous, I guess.”
Larson returns to the Speedway for the Verizon 200 Sunday on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course with teammates 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott, current points leader William Byron, and Alex Bowman.
Larson was accompanied May 17 at the Speedway by Gordon, who said, “I’m here to learn all we can and how to plan.”
Gordon didn’t express any jealousy about Larson’s attempt when looking back on his own career that advanced in Indiana by racing midgets and sprint cars.
“I did say to him (Larson) he’s going to be able to live out a dream of mine,” Gordon said. “Every race car driver’s dream, if you race around Indianapolis, is to get here, to compete at this facility. I watched guys like Rich Vogler, a few other competitors I raced with, come over here and do that. Certainly it was on my radar. But NASCAR came calling.”
There is no known timetable for testing or simulator time. Larson was fitted for the seat in the No. 17 Dallara/Chevrolet. And he returned briefly for the “500” before heading to Charlotte for the NASCAR 600.
Combining Larson, Gordon, McLaren, and Hendrick is huge in the motorsports world.
“A collaboration like this was what we needed to make it happen, and fortunately the stars aligned,” Hendrick said in the team’s announcement earlier this year. “We’re 100 percent committed to doing it right.”
Larson has had an up and down NASCAR season with short track wins at Martinsville and Richmond and is fifth in points, trailing nemesis Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and teammate Byron.
Editor
“We’re going to do it; we’re going to do it.”
With those words from adopted Hoosier and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon, the path is set for multi-talented 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson to enter the Indianapolis 500 field in 2024 with Arrow McLaren. The Dallara racecar will be powered by Chevrolet and sponsored by Hendrick Cars.com.
“I want to be ready for it; (understand) when they tell me to do this or that,” said Larson, whose racing pedigree includes all forms of open wheel competition. “This will be different than anything I’ve ever been in. I want to be prepared for the event; just not be surprised by anything.”
Larson, 30, aims to be the fifth driver to run “The Double” – the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day (May 26, 2024).
John Andretti with the partial backing of the late Jonathan Byrd of Greenwood was the first to do “The Double,” followed by Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Kurt Bush. Stewart is the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles. No driver to attempt “The Double” has ever won either race on the same day.
“I have yet to be behind the wheel of the car,” Larson said. “I want to soak up as much knowledge as I can while I’m here … obviously I want to do a good job.”
Larson also is realistic about racing on the world’s best-known speedway, saying, “I’m a little nervous, I guess.”
Larson returns to the Speedway for the Verizon 200 Sunday on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course with teammates 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott, current points leader William Byron, and Alex Bowman.
Larson was accompanied May 17 at the Speedway by Gordon, who said, “I’m here to learn all we can and how to plan.”
Gordon didn’t express any jealousy about Larson’s attempt when looking back on his own career that advanced in Indiana by racing midgets and sprint cars.
“I did say to him (Larson) he’s going to be able to live out a dream of mine,” Gordon said. “Every race car driver’s dream, if you race around Indianapolis, is to get here, to compete at this facility. I watched guys like Rich Vogler, a few other competitors I raced with, come over here and do that. Certainly it was on my radar. But NASCAR came calling.”
There is no known timetable for testing or simulator time. Larson was fitted for the seat in the No. 17 Dallara/Chevrolet. And he returned briefly for the “500” before heading to Charlotte for the NASCAR 600.
Combining Larson, Gordon, McLaren, and Hendrick is huge in the motorsports world.
“A collaboration like this was what we needed to make it happen, and fortunately the stars aligned,” Hendrick said in the team’s announcement earlier this year. “We’re 100 percent committed to doing it right.”
Larson has had an up and down NASCAR season with short track wins at Martinsville and Richmond and is fifth in points, trailing nemesis Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and teammate Byron.
(PENSKE ENTERTAINMENT CORP. PHOTO BY CHRIS OWENS Alexander Rossi seeks to defend his NTT IndyCar Series Gallagher Grand Prix championship Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course. MORE STARS ON ROAD COURSE
Brickyard events begin Thursday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the NASCAR Hauler Parade on Main Street in Speedway. IndyCar Gallagher Grand Prix qualifying is Friday at 12:30 p.m. with Indy NXT racing at 4:50 p.m. on the Speedway road course. The NTT IndyCar Series Gallagher Grand Prix is Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Pennzoil 150 at 5:30 p.m. Qualifications for each NASCAR series is Saturday morning. The NASCAR Cup Verizon 200 unfolds Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Defending race winners are Alexander Rossi in IndyCar, AJ Allmendinger in Xfinity, and Tyler Reddick in Cup.
There will be plenty of interesting star power on the road course this weekend.
NASCAR Cup Chicago street course winner Shane van Gisbergen, three-time Australian V8 Supercars champion, is entered in Verizon 200 Sunday. The New Zealand driver became the first Cup driver to win in his debut since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 at Daytona.
Van Gisbergen will be joined in the NASCAR race Sunday by 2009 Formula One champions Jenson Button of Great Britain, former F1 driver Kamui Kobaysahi of Japan and Australia’s Brodie Kostecki. Button last raced in the U.S. in the U.S. Grand Prix at the Speedway in 2007.
Driving for different teams in Chevrolet Camaros, Noblesville’s Conor Daly and Indianapolis 500 driver Katherine Legge are entered in the NASCAR Xfinity Pennzoil 150 Saturday.
Van Gisbergen makes his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut Friday in the TSport 200 Friday night on the Lucas Oil Raceway Park oval in Brownsburg. The twin-bill action begins at 6 p.m. with the ARCA Menards Series Reese’s 200.
Brickyard events begin Thursday, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the NASCAR Hauler Parade on Main Street in Speedway. IndyCar Gallagher Grand Prix qualifying is Friday at 12:30 p.m. with Indy NXT racing at 4:50 p.m. on the Speedway road course. The NTT IndyCar Series Gallagher Grand Prix is Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Pennzoil 150 at 5:30 p.m. Qualifications for each NASCAR series is Saturday morning. The NASCAR Cup Verizon 200 unfolds Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Defending race winners are Alexander Rossi in IndyCar, AJ Allmendinger in Xfinity, and Tyler Reddick in Cup.
There will be plenty of interesting star power on the road course this weekend.
NASCAR Cup Chicago street course winner Shane van Gisbergen, three-time Australian V8 Supercars champion, is entered in Verizon 200 Sunday. The New Zealand driver became the first Cup driver to win in his debut since Johnny Rutherford in 1963 at Daytona.
Van Gisbergen will be joined in the NASCAR race Sunday by 2009 Formula One champions Jenson Button of Great Britain, former F1 driver Kamui Kobaysahi of Japan and Australia’s Brodie Kostecki. Button last raced in the U.S. in the U.S. Grand Prix at the Speedway in 2007.
Driving for different teams in Chevrolet Camaros, Noblesville’s Conor Daly and Indianapolis 500 driver Katherine Legge are entered in the NASCAR Xfinity Pennzoil 150 Saturday.
Van Gisbergen makes his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut Friday in the TSport 200 Friday night on the Lucas Oil Raceway Park oval in Brownsburg. The twin-bill action begins at 6 p.m. with the ARCA Menards Series Reese’s 200.
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