Kyle Larson was dealt a cruel blow in his bid to become just the fifth driver in history to complete the Indianapolis-Charlotte double on Sunday.
Just 17 minutes after finishing 18th in the Indy500, NASCAR star Larson boarded a flight to Charlotte and embarked on a mad 574-mile rush to make it to the Coca-Cola 600 in North Carolina.
Only four drivers have ever competed in both events on the very same day, meaning a special place in history beckoned for the 31-year-old if he made it in time.
NASCAR’s annual Cup Series event got underway at 6pm ET in Charlotte, and given it lasts a staggering 600 miles, Larson initially stood a chance of entering midway through the race and pulling off the incredible feat.
However, after rain delays in Indianapolis had made his task even tougher earlier in the day, by the time Larson arrived at Charlotte Motorway Speedway the Coca-Cola 600 had been put on hold for the same reason.
Kyle Larson was dealt a cruel blow in his bid to become just the fifth driver in history to complete the Indianapolis-Charlotte double
Larson boarded a flight to Charlotte just 17 minutes after finishing the Indy500 and embarked on a mad 574-mile rush to make it to the Coca-Cola 600
And before he could get on the track and complete the historic double, the race was eventually ended early because of the weather conditions – meaning Toyota’s Christopher Bell was awarded the victory.
Larson, meanwhile, was left devastated after rushing from Indianapolis to Charlotte all for nothing.
The American driver, who won the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021, was always up against it on Sunday when Indy500 was delayed as a result of severe thunderstorms.
Fans were asked to take shelter, and while most took cover, a small group of attendees were seen racing each other on foot along the concourse in Indianapolis.
Track president J. Douglas Boles said it would take track drying equipment about two hours to dry the 2.5-mile oval, but the expectation is that the race would begin roughly four hours late and all 200 laps would be completed before dark.
‘It looks like it’s going to be that window where I guess we might be able to get it dry to race today,’ Larson said earlier on Sunday. ‘But obviously that affects things for the 600. It’s still the weather. You don’t know how that is going to go exactly.
‘But the worst-case scenario is happening, which is a bummer. We’ll get on the track in something today.’
The NASCAR star came 18th on his debut in the Indy500 before embarking on the journey. Only four drivers have ever competed in both events on the very same day
But after making it to the track in time, Larson was left devastated when the race ended early
His hopes of completing the double were dented when the Indy500 was delayed on Sunday
Heavy storms had been expected all week, and they arrived about 12:45 p.m., just when the green flag was supposed to drop. Along with heavy rain, the band brought wind gusts up to 45 mph and dangerous lightning, and video boards inside the race track advised fans who had already made their way into the speedway to seek shelter.
Had the race got back underway, Larson would have cemented his place in history at the Coca-Cola 600 with former US President Donald Trump watching on at Charlotte Motorway Speedway.
Trump is in town for the race after sending fans wild by flying his private plane over the track in North Carolina.
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