CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson is doubling down on “The Double.”

Larson is set to run both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, a task he set out to accomplish last year but never had a chance to complete after weather disrupted the NASCAR star’s plans.

A year ago rain delayed the start of the Indianapolis 500, putting Larson well behind schedule in his quest. He finished 18th in Indianapolis, and didn’t make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway until 249 laps had been completed. He was set to jump in the No. 5 Chevrolet and take over for replacement driver Justin Allgaier, but lightning and heavy rains forced NASCAR to call the race.

Larson never turned a lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“Last year wasn’t as fun and exciting as people might think,” Larson said. “I was super bummed because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to race in both. I didn’t get to enjoy the pre-race stuff or anything, but hopefully this year it goes better with the weather and I can just enjoy the whole experience.”

The forecast for Sunday in both cities looks a little more promising, although there’s still a small chance of rain.

If rain were to delay the start of the Indianapolis 500 again, Larson could face a tough decision. If he doesn’t make it back for the Coca-Cola 600, his playoff chances would be in jeopardy. Larson is considered one of the favorites to win the Cup Championship, having won three Cup Series races this year.

Hendrick Motorsports vice president Jeff Gordon said the team has a “concrete plan” to have Larson in Charlotte in time for driver introductions, about 45 minutes before the race.

“He will be here (at CMS) by 5:45 p.m.,” Gordon said emphatically.

Only a handful of elite drivers have dared to take on the epic motorsports crossover. Tony Stewart set the standard for “The Double” in 2001 when he finished sixth at the Indy 500 and third at the Coca-Cola 600, becoming the first driver to ever complete all 1,100 miles.

“I love to race,” Larson said of the challenge. “I love to compete in big events and I love to try new things to challenge myself,” said Larson. “I try to stay focused on making this the best experience I can and getting my car to drive the best it can while also enjoying the moment.”

Other things to watch at the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night:

Change in spotters

Christopher Bell and Brad Keselowski will have new spotters at the Coca-Cola 600.

Joe Gibbs Racing said Matt Philpott has replaced Stevie Reeves as Bell’s spotter. Reeves had been the spotter for Bell, last week’s All-Star Race winner and the defending Coca-Cola 600 champion, since he made his series debut in 2020.

“I was surprised as well,” Bell said of Reeves’ decision to leave the team. “It was all Stevie’s decision. He made the decision on his own to quit.”

Todd Brewer replaces T.J. Majors as Keselowski’s spotter. Majors will be out a month due to a medical procedure.

Byron’s extension

William Byron called it a “relief” to receive a four-year contract extension Friday from Hendrick Motorsports.

The two-time defending Daytona 500 champion said negotiations were “amicable” and he anticipated they would eventually get done.

“I definitely wanted to be here and focus on winning races,” Byron said. “That’s what it’s all about at Hendrick Motorsports and what I want to do. … I felt like Hendrick was always my home.”

Gordon said “we think it’s a no-brainer. It’s worked and he has been a great fit. … We were going to make it happen one way or another.”

Johnson set for milestone

Seven-time Cup Series champion and Legacy Motor Club part-owner Jimmie Johnson will hit a career milestone at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with his 700th career Cup Series start.

For the 49-year-old Johnson, it’s a poignant moment, returning to the venue where he began his Cup Series journey in 2001. Johnson’s first start came Oct. 7, 2001, at Charlotte. He went on to dominate at Charlotte, winning the Coca-Cola 600 four times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2014), the Bank of America 500 four times (2004, 2005, 2009, 2016), and the All-Star Race four times (2003, 2006, 2012, 2013).

“This is my 700th start, but let’s be clear – it’s not my last start,” Johnson said.

The Coca-Cola 600 grind

The Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race on the NASCAR circuit, and it can often take five hours to complete the 400 laps on a 1½-mile track. Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet formerly run by Dale Earnhardt, called it one of the most grueling races on the NASCAR circuit.

“The track’s not smooth. … It’s rough, so I think you prep your seat well for this race too,” said Dillon, who won the race in 2017. “I changed that two years ago when we went to this car. I remember the first time in the Next Gen car here, it was awful under caution, even just your head rattling around in there. So I tried to make our foam a little different around our head rest, which helps.”

Salute to service

Charlotte Motor Speedway has a long tradition of honoring the military on Memorial Day weekend as part of their “Salute to Service.” There are flyovers, numerous military members on site, the playing of “Taps” and each driver carries the name of a fallen soldier’s name on their racecar.

“To have a name on the side of a race car, to share that with their family, it means more than motorsports,” said AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 car for Kaulig Racing. “I’ll be 100% honest, I get lost. You know what our job is, you’re out there to win, and that’s all you focus on, but there’s a brief moment there of all the pre-race stuff at the (Coca-Cola) 600 where racing doesn’t mean anything.”

NASCAR on Prime

NASCAR on Prime is set to make its debut Sunday.

Prime Video will exclusively stream five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races to conclude the first half of the season. Adam Alexander serves as race announcer alongside analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte in the booth, with Trevor Bayne, Kim Coon, and Marty Snider patrolling pit road. Danielle Trotta hosts Prime Video’s on-site studio coverage, joined by analysts Carl Edwards and Corey LaJoie.

Fans can watch NASCAR live at home or on the go, and across hundreds of compatible devices, streaming from the web, or using the Prime Video app on smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, game consoles, and connected TVs.

Charlotte Showdown: NASCAR Xfinity Stars Set for High-Stakes Battle

Updated: 10:50 AM CDT May 24, 2025

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway this Saturday for the BetMGM 300 — and with just 14 races left until the playoffs, every lap matters.North Carolina natives Josh Berry and Daniel Hemric will be racing in front of home crowds, looking to capitalize on familiar turf. Berry called it “a little extra special,” while Hemric has long said Charlotte is where his NASCAR dreams began.Meanwhile, expect sparks between Sheldon Creed and Austin Hill — their tense rivalry hit a boiling point last year, with Hill famously saying he “can’t wait” to stop being teammates.Catch the action Saturday, May 24 at 2:30 p.m. Central on Kansas City’s Own® KCWE

INDIANAPOLIS – NASCAR star Kyle Larson will be taking another shot at “the Double,” one of the most grueling feats in all of motorsports, when he tries to complete every lap of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday.

Tony Stewart is the only driver to have successfully pulled it off, and that was nearly 25 years ago.

But while attempts have been scarce since John Andretti first tried it in 1994, that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of ambitious drivers interested. Defending Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin and reigning IndyCar series champion Alex Palou all expressed some desire to give it a go this week.

“Gosh, we could have a huge laundry list of people that should do it,” said Newgarden, who is aiming for an unprecedented third straight Indy 500 win. “You could ask the majority of the field (and they) would want to do the double. It’s so much fun.”

Yet it’s also a massive undertaking, which is why Stewart still stands alone, and not just on the driver who has to complete 1,100 miles around Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway — tracks some 550 miles apart. It also takes some serious financial support, the backing of teams in both IndyCar and NASCAR, tremendous logistical help, and plenty of luck that the weather cooperates, cars hold up mechanically and the driver is able to avoid any wrecks.

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, whose brother Kurt completed the Indy 500 in 2014 but failed to finish the Coca-Cola 600, is among those who have tried to put together a deal to attempt “the Double” but haven’t quite pulled it off.

“It’s just very difficult to get that lined up,” Newgarden said. “Doing what Kyle (Larson) is doing right now, it’s harder than it looks. What I mean by that is just putting the program together. You would have a lot of people doing it if it was simple, I can promise you that. I think Kyle Busch has spoken publicly about trying to get something off the ground. That’s Kyle Busch. It should seem like it’s pretty likely for him to put a program together. It was quite difficult.”

So who else could be in line to try?

Ryan Blaney has contemplated it, and he presumably would have plenty of synergistic support given that Team Penske has established NASCAR and IndyCar programs. But it would take the convincing of team owner Roger Penske, who also owns the IndyCar Series, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 — a race he has won a record 20 times.

“I would love to see Blaney do it at some point,” Newgarden said.

Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, was close to a deal years ago when that team still had a NASCAR program. Dixon pointed out that there are also conflicts of interest to overcome, such as when an IndyCar driver whose team is powered by Honda has the chance to drive a Cup Series car that might have a Chevrolet engine.

“It’s not an easy thing to do,” Dixon said. “Really admire the people that do it.”

Dixon paused, before telling Palou sitting next to him: “Alex, you should do it.”

“I would love to do it,” he replied. “I would do it.”

McLaughlin, another Team Penske driver with extensive stock car experience, was asked about trying to tackle both Memorial Day weekend races. Before jumping to IndyCar, McLaughlin was one of the most dominant drivers in the history of the Supercar Series in Australia and New Zealand, winning 56 races and three series championships.

Those races take place on road courses, though, and the Coca-Cola 600 is on the Charlotte oval. So, McLaughlin said, all those years of stock car experience Down Under might not translate so easily to a Cup Series car.

“The only reason you’d think that is is if it was road course-to-road course,” he said. “But I think the oval is a completely different kettle of fish. If I was to do ‘the Double,’ I would like to do an (oval) race before Charlotte.”

Larson’s attempt is once again a joint effort of Hendrick Motorsports on the NASCAR side and Arrow McLaren on the IndyCar side.

He had high hopes of completing all 1,100 miles last year, but rain wreaked havoc with his schedule. Larson managed to finish the rain-delayed Indy 500, then do the entire helicopter-plane-helicopter trip to Charlotte, only to be greeted there by more rain upon his arrival. It ultimately washed out the rest of the NASCAR race before he ever got a chance to turn a lap.

The forecast for Sunday? A bit chilly but most likely dry.

“I feel like the Hendrick aviation side does a really good job with logistics and working with motorsports to make sure all the timing’s right on everything and everything operates smoothly,” Larson said. “Yeah, we had the weather delay for the Indy 500 last year, but aside from that, the travel side of it was all smooth. So, as far as I know, nothing is different this year.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

CONCORD, N.C. — Richard Childress Racing announced Saturday it has picked up the option on Kyle Busch’s contract, meaning the two-time Cup Series champion will be back with the team for the 2026 season.

The 40-year-old Busch is in the midst of the longest slump of his career, with his winless streak closing in on 70 races. Busch has won 63 Cup Series races since joining the circuit in 2003, but has not taken the checkered flag since St. Louis on June 4, 2023.

Still, Busch believes RCR will get things turned around soon.

“It’s a great place to be, a great place to work and a great atmosphere — there is a lot of determination there from a lot of people (to win),” said Busch, who won Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019.

Team owner Richard Childress said he felt like the organization let Busch down in 2024, his first season without a Cup Series win in his career.

Busch has one top-5 finish this season. He is 17th in the point standings.

“I think we will win a race with him this year,” Childress said. “We have to work smarter and that is what we are trying to do. We have a lot of good things going.”

The polarizing Busch, known for his outbursts and rants, called the losing streak “a little humbling.”

“I’m excited for the next win whenever that is,” Busch said. “I feel like there are times where it gives you that motivation and gives you that itch to get back to victory lane.”

Childress said there is hope that he can sign Busch to a long-term extension at some point in the future.

“There is a big future for Kyle,” Childress said.

Busch said he has not considered retiring from racing, He said that is something he will reconsider once his 10-year-old son, Brexton, is old enough to get into racing on the national circuit.

Busch will run Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600, a race that he won in 2018.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Corey Heim left his competition in the dust on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Heim led 98 of 134 laps and swept every stage on his way to a convincing victory in the NC Education Lottery 200.

Heim’s No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota had no equal, and a pristine performance on pit road and behind the wheel led to Heim’s 15th career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series victory and his first at America’s Home for Racing. Heim paced a pair of Niece Motorsports drivers – NASCAR Cup Series star Ross Chastain and up-and-comer Kaden Honeycutt – to the finish line, covering Chastain’s Chevrolet by 6.229 seconds.

Layne Riggs finished fourth with Kyle Busch fifth and Grant Enfinger, who finished second in the General Tire 150 earlier Friday, sixth. Matt Mills, Daniel Hemric, Rajah Caruth and Brandon Jones rounded out the top 10.

Heim also posted the race’s quickest lap time, a 30.41-second lap, in scoring his fourth win of the year. Pole winner Giovanni Ruggiero led two laps but ended up 21st.

COREY HEIM, NO. 11 TRICON GARAGE TOYOTA (Race Winner): “I kind of needed a smooth-sailing day, considering we’ve had so many days this year where we ran the best, but things happened and we didn’t win. In the past, this has been our best track, so I’m glad to close things out here for once. It’s been circumstantial things that have kept us from winning more races this year, but tonight was finally one that was smooth sailing.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 44 NIECE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (Runner-Up): “For our Niece Motorsports Chevy, we were best in class and to have three in the top seven with Kaden and Matt Mills, that’s what we need. I first drove for Niece in 2018, and I’ll keep driving for (team owner) Al (Niece) as long as he’ll have me. It was super-fun to rip the top all night. I had a lot of fun racing (Kyle Busch) and Kaden.”

KADEN HONEYCUTT, NO. 45 NIECE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET (Third-Place Finisher): “Awesome, man. I’m just really grateful to have an awesome team owner like Al Niece, who fought for our freedom, and to get to come out here and do what we’re doing. Every veteran who’s fought for our country, we’re out here for them. A great night tonight for our company, second, third and seventh. A good day for us. I hate that we didn’t win the race. This thing has been so good here. We were good here last year and I put a lot of pressure on myself to win, but that’s how badly I want to do it.”

TICKETS:

Fans can purchase Coca-Cola 600 weekend tickets, online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Kids 12 and under get in all weekend for just $10.

MORE INFO:

Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway and get the latest news by following on X and Instagram, or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

Information provided by Speedway Motorsports

The Xfinity and Cup Series will hit the track for a full Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Cup cars will begin practice on the 1.5-mile oval at 1:35 p.m., followed by qualifying for the longest race on the schedule. Christopher Bell is the defending winner of the Coca-Cola 600, which was shortened to 374 miles last year because of rain.

The main event Saturday is a 300-mile race for the Xfinity Series starting at 4:30 p.m. Practice begins at 11 a.m. with qualifying at 12:05 p.m. Chase Elliott won last year’s race in the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Teammate William Byron will be driving the No. 17 for Hendrick in Saturday’s race.

Coca-Cola 600 schedule at Charlotte Motor Speedway

(All Times Eastern)

Saturday, May 24

Garage open

• 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. — Cup
• 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. — Xfinity

Track activity

• 11 – 11:55 a.m. — Xfinity practice (CW App)
• 12:05 – 1 p.m. — Xfinity qualifying (CW App)
• 1:35 – 2:35 p.m. — Cup practice (Prime)
• 2:45 – 3:30 p.m. — Cup qualifying (Prime)
• 4:30 p.m. — Xfinity race (200 laps, 300 miles, Stage 1 at Lap 45, Stage 2 at Lap 90; CW, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Weather

Saturday: Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a high of 78 degrees and winds from the northwest at 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 76 degrees with a 0% chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race.