LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) — Kyle Larson hasn’t spent much time thinking about his latest failed attempt at becoming only the second driver to run all 1,100 miles of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

Racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway again may just have to wait until Larson’s NASCAR career ends.

“That’s not me shutting down the 500 again,” Larson said. “Someday, maybe when I’m done with Cup racing, I would definitely love to do the 500 again, and devote all of my time to it. It’s such an awesome event, like it is the greatest event in the world. So I don’t want to miss out on that too much.”

Larson said Saturday the attempt just doesn’t make sense logistically with any small delay, weather or crash throwing off the entire schedule.

He’s been dealing with a bit of a “Double” hangover since last weekend’s attempt. He also made a quick trip to Mexico to check out the altitude and area for NASCAR’s race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15. He slept much of Friday after getting sick.

Larson made his first try at one of the toughest challenges in motorsports in 2024 when four hours of rain delays at the Indianapolis 500 wrecked his plans at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, then made him late to Charlotte with the NASCAR race called before he ever took a lap.

Last week, Larson crashed on Lap 91 of the Indianapolis 500, flew to Charlotte and then had his NASCAR race end on Lap 246 when caught up in a wreck ending his bid to join Tony Stewart who finished sixth in the 2001 Indy 500 before flying to Charlotte where he finished third in the Cup Series race.

John Andretti was the first driver to try the double in 1994, and Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch also have given it a shot.

Asked what changes could help make competing in both races and finishing the Double possible, Larson said moving the start time up for the Indy 500 wouldn’t work. That race already starts at 9:45 a.m. on the West Coast with people there unlikely to wake up earlier.

Larson said the Coca-Cola 600 can’t start much later. Even with not many cautions, that race still ends after 11 p.m. Eastern.

“I don’t know how those guys did in the past, like that must have been perfect, weather and cautions and all that,” Larson said.

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Cracker Barrel has roots in Middle Tennessee, and it will be on full display during the NASCAR race weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.

NASCAR’s best drivers from all three national series will be running races at the 1.33-mile oval, highlighted by the Cracker Barrel 400 at 6 p.m. CT on June 1.

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Cracker Barrel got its start in Middle Tennessee, actually in the same town that will be hosting NASCAR racing.

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Cracker Barrel first opened on Sept. 19, 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee, as found on the store’s history page.

Dan W. Evins opened the first “Old Country Store” and made everything from scratch, including the famous corn bread.

In just eight years, Evins saw the success of Cracker Barrel and worked with investors, mostly local friends and other associates, and expanded with 13 stores from Kentucky to Georgia in 1977.

A big step in the company’s growth was becoming publicly traded, which helped the company blossom through the 1980s and 1990s, finally reaching a $1 billion in market value in 1992.

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According to the store’s website, there are nearly 660 locations in 44 states across the country.

Now, Cracker Barrel’s location in Lebanon, the original store from 1969, is just 17 miles from Nashville Superspeedway, approximately a 20-minute drive, and has signed a multi-year deal to be the race’s title sponsor.

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Fifty-one Cracker Barrel stores are located in Tennessee. Cracker Barrel is headquartered on a 98-acre campus in Lebanon.

“Over 55 years ago, we opened our doors in Lebanon, and this partnership with Nashville Superspeedway feels like a homecoming,” Cracker Barrel chief marketing officer Sarah Moore said in a release. “Middle Tennessee is foundational to our beginnings — country hospitality, hard work and a commitment to putting people at the heart of everything we do. The Cracker Barrel 400 lets us share that with NASCAR’s global audience while honoring the community where it all began.”

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This is not Cracker Barrel’s first time to sponsor a NASCAR Cup Race. The Cracker Barrel 500 was run as the fourth Cup Series race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway from 1999-2001.

Joey Logano won last year’s race at Nashville Superspeedway.

When is 2025 NASCAR Nashville race?

The 2025 Cracker Barrel 400 is set for 6 p.m. CT on June 1 at Nashville Superspeedway.

NASCAR Nashville race streaming, Amazon Prime

The NASCAR Nashville race is streaming on Amazon Prime with Adam Alexander, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte in the broadcast booth.

If you are subscribed to Amazon Prime, you have access to Prime Video’s NASCAR broadcasts. If you are not yet subscribed to Amazon Prime Video, you can do so here with a 30-day free trial that will cover the remainder of the broadcast partner’s schedule.

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Follow sports writer Austin Chastain on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ or reach him via email at achastain@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Nashville race: Cracker Barrel 400 showcases roots, history

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson has emerged as NASCAR’s merchandise sales leader halfway through the 2025 regular Cup Series season. Despite a disappointing end to The Double during Memorial Day weekend, in which he failed to finish both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600, Larson’s commercial appeal continues to grow as he challenges seven-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award winner Chase Elliott.

The popularity of the 32-year-old driver coincides with his impressive on-track performance through the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. At the midway point, he has three race wins under his belt, eight top-five finishes, and nine top-10 finishes.

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Despite his successes on track, Larson has also been met with criticism off of it. Following the race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, when he competed in the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series, the driver claimed that he wanted to “embarrass” the Xfinity Series drivers. He said on the Harvick Happy Hour podcast at the time:

“In my head when I pick the races, the triple is not really the reason why I do it. In Xfinity, I do get motivated – and this is going to come across as very cocky – I want to embarrass them honestly.

“I want to embarrass NASCAR a little bit because they just don’t let Cup guys run anymore. The kids are probably thinking they are in a good spot and they don’t know where the bar is really at. So I like to go and run those Xfinity races and get 10-second leads to let them realise they have got a lot of room to improve and it’s only better for our sport too.

“When those young guys can compete with Cup guys, they are better suited for the Cup Series when they get there. I want to smash the field when I run Xfinity. That’s motivating me for sure.”

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of those who took issue with Larson’s comments.

Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

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“The first thing he said, I didn’t like. He said he wanted to embarrass the field, and he wanted to embarrass NASCAR, and he was not happy that they limit the races the Cup guys can run. The rest of the point he made was valid,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

According to a report from Sports Business Journal, merchandise sales at the Coca-Cola 600 were the highest since 2010, and this included Larson products centred around his attempt at The Double.

NASCAR Holdings’ top merchandise sales ranking for the 2025 season

1. Kyle Larson
2. Chase Elliott
3. Kyle Busch
4. Ross Chastain
5. Ryan Blaney
6. Joey Logano
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8. Justin Allgaier
9. Dale Earnhardt Sr.
10. William Byron
11. Daniel Suarez
12. Christopher Bell
13. Denny Hamlin
14. Tyler Reddick

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Corey Heim won the second stage and battled for the lead late before finishing second to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway on Friday evening.

After leading 58 (of 150) laps, Heim has now led over 800 laps this season and became the first driver in NASCAR Truck Series history to lead over 800 laps in the first 12 races of the Truck Series season. Heim also extended his points lead to 122 points over Daniel Hemric heading into Michigan.

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