They’re calling it unfinished business.
Once again under the Hendrick 1100 branding, Kyle Larson will attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day for Arrow McLaren Racing and Hendrick Motorsports respectively but all involved are hoping for better weather.
This summer, Larson contested the Greatest Spectacle in Racing but only after a four-hour delay that caused him to miss the start of the NASCAR race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson arrived at the latter just past halfway only for the rain to end that race before he could even get inside the car.
It was an outcome that left senior NASCAR leadership disappointed to the point the league considered not granting him a waiver to even be eligible for the playoffs despite being the championship leader at the time.
As a result, Larson alongside leadership from both Hendrick Motorsports and Arrow McLaren announced their second attempt to contest the double but also stated that 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan would be on standby to run at Indianapolis if necessary because Larson will for sure prioritize the NASCAR race in 2025 instead.
In a perfect world, the weather will simply cooperate in Speedway, Indiana.
“I really enjoyed the month of May in Indy and racing with Arrow McLaren, but I was really disappointed with missing the Coca-Cola 600 with the No. 5 HendrickCars.com team,” Larson said. “I appreciate the second opportunity, because we have unfinished business. I really want to complete all 1100 miles, and I think we have the opportunity to battle for the win in both events.”
The announcement was formally made on Tuesday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with team owner Rick Hendrick, vice chairman Jeff Gordon, McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Kannan, who is also the sporting director for the IndyCar team.
“Kyle showed us all what he was capable of this past May, and given a second chance with better weather conditions, I think we’ll all be excited to see him fight for a win at the Indy 500 and then another one in Charlotte,” Brown said. “He’s one of the most talented racing drivers out there, and it’s a privilege to do this again with Mr. Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, who are both world-class. We can’t wait for May.”
The car number will once again be No. 17 for the Indianapolis effort and will come with full support from HendrickCars.com.
The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion started fifth in May and ran inside the top-10 for most of the race until a late speeding penalty eliminated him from contention. He earned rookie of the year honors and finished 18th.
Now he will return with a year of experience behind him.