NASCAR Pledges Fealty to Kyle Larson’s ‘Double’ Pursuit as Unwanted Roadblocks Emerge

The All-Star Race stood out due to Joey Logano’s historic race domination and of course, the post-race brawl. The upcoming weekend promises more thrill, as Kyle Larson will undertake a gruelling challenge. Arguably one of the best drivers of NASCAR, Larson will attempt the nerve-racking Double. 

After racing through the short track of the Indy 500, he will get on a plane to fly to NASCAR’s crown jewel event, the Coca-Cola 600. However, several hiccups have already emerged in the stellar driver’s path. Yet the authorities are putting their heads together to ensure a seamless racing journey for the 2021 Cup champion.

NASCAR executive is on a war footing for Kyle Larson

In 2013, Kyle Larson attempted the Double as a fan, flying from Indy to Charlotte, while dreaming of doing it himself one day. But the foremost challenge for Larson is out of any human’s hands. Inclement weather has tormented the starting races of this year, and now they are back again. Last weekend, the All-Star heat races were called off altogether due to the relentless rain. This does not bode well for Kyle Larson’s Double attempt, which is hampered further by Donald Trump’s plans to make a surprise visit to the Coke 600.

Yet NASCAR’s top seed is determined to turn Larson’s youngster dream into a success. Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s Senior VP of competition, recently told Sirius XM NASCAR how last week’s fan ratings hiked due to Larson. “As far as the sanctioning body, the industry, our fans…last week we did see the helicopter drop in at Wilkesboro, and Kyle get out, the fans, just you know, a great storyline.”

Hence the higher-ups will coordinate to shield Kyle Larson’s Double plan. “We’re gonna work closely with the folks at Speedway Motorsports, our TV broadcast partners, the folks at HMS…Do everything we can to make sure that Kyle can get there within reason…We got some minute-by-minute (schedules), and when we do our command and the green flag (waves).”

Sawyer also dropped a statement bound to make HMS fans roll over in glee, placing Kyle Larson on a pedestal. “We’re gonna work closely together to make sure that our fans get to see one of the best drivers in our sport to be able to participate in the Coke 600 on Sunday night.”

The administration’s efforts may go a long way. But some problems still lie in Kyle Larson’s path and might evade NASCAR’s reach.

The grind might get to Larson

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All four drivers who did the Double before narrated tales of hunger, adrenaline, and hallucination. On Tony Stewart’s first attempt in 1999, the last 20 laps of the Coke 600 gave him visions. A hotdog wrapper flew across the track, but Stewart swore he saw “a ginormous pink elephant with polka dots on it.” Hence the grind is going to be tremendously draining for Kyle Larson. But he did a trial run last weekend when he flew from Indy to North Wilkesboro.

The other pressing problem is the timing. When Robby Gordon made his attempts, the Indy 500 started more than an hour before it does now. So Larson will need a perfect event to pull off both race starts. That is highly unlikely given weather troubles as well as crashes. Last year, the 500 saw three crashes end in red flags. Every crash can take a costly toll on the precious time that Kyle Larson seeks to conserve.

But all said and done, Larson still fares as one of the best drivers of the sport, as Sawyer confirmed. So he might pull off this amazing feat easily.