Larson, 31, will start fifth in his Indy 500
debut next Sunday and join John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby
Gordon and Kurt Busch as the only drivers to attempt the
Indy-Charlotte Double, also called the Memorial Day Double --
the 108th Indy 500 during the day and then the Coca-Cola 600 at
Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Larson will be on the second row of the starting grid at the
Indy 500 after posting a four-lap average speed of 232.846 in
qualifying.
"Just a great team, really, they prepared an awesome race car
that stuck to the race track and also had speed," Larson told
reporters. "Qualifying went a lot better than I could have ever
hoped or anticipated."
After qualifying, Larson took a helicopter ride to Indianapolis
International Airport and flew to North Carolina. He then took
another flight to Wilkes County Airport and hopped in another
helicopter to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star
Race, where he finished fourth.
Larson, who leads NASCAR's championship standings and posted a
win at Kansas Speedway on May 5, will take the same route and
transportation next Sunday to Charlotte, where he won in 2021.
Stewart is the only one of the four drivers to previously
attempt The Double and finish every lap of both races when he
achieved the feat in 2001.
--Field Level Media [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
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