Kyle Larson is looking to become the first driver to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day since 2014. But on Thursday, that pursuit had a setback when he hit the wall during an IndyCar test session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
During the morning session, Larson came out of Turn 1 wide and hit the wall with the right side of his car, then briefly left the track before skidding and bumping the wall again shortly thereafter.
Larson left the collision uninjured and was checked out and released from IndyCar Medical.
“I’m happy to crash my first IndyCar and live through it,” Larson said on the IndyCar’s YouTube stream. “We’ll just work on it and try to get the balance more comfortable. Just didn’t quite feel like I had the feeling I needed (Wednesday) and it really carried over (Thursday). I think when you’re going faster it really stood out.”
The Indy 500 has a multi-step qualifying process, meaning Larson still has an opportunity to rebound and qualify for the field.
Larson attempted to make both races a year ago, but the rain-delayed Indy 500 denied him the opportunity. After finishing 18th in Indianapolis, Larson made it to Charlotte Motor Speedway well after that race had already begun.
Cale Yarborough was the first driver to achieve the feat, though not when the races were on the same day, successfully competing in both races in 1967.
Kurt Busch was the most recent to do it, pulling it off in 2014. Other racers to pull of the same-day feat include John Andretti (1994), Robby Gordon (1997, 2000, 2002, 2004) and Tony Stewart (1999, 2001).
–Field Level Media
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