The excitement is real as Kyle Larson attempts a Memorial Day double, competing in both the Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the first time since 2014.
That was clear from the moment it was announced two years ago in January, but the events that unfolded after Larson participated in an open test last month at Indiana Speedway’s four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) oval show just how real that remains, especially in hindsight.
Larson, considered a generational talent capable of winning anything on four wheels, was the second-fastest in the test and placed behind reigning Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden on the final speed chart.
Going into the test, the odds of Larson winning the race were DraftKings Sportsbook It was hovering in the +2000 to +2500 range.
After open testing, his odds dropped to +700. The fact that this change was made simply because Larson ran the second-fastest lap during a weather-shortened test, when most teams didn’t run their speedway cars and none of the teams had their engines revved up, is odd.
Larson, who competes in the NASCAR Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports-backed Arrow McLaren, was listed as a favorite to win ahead of Newgarden, who has won five of the last six oval races.
Newgarden, a two-time IndyCar champion and 29-time race winner, literally got less credit for Larson nearly beating him than he did for beating him.
Larson was listed with lower odds than all eight former Indy 500 winners among this year’s field. After testing, he finished behind last year’s pole-sitter, Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing.
Whether or not anyone felt this was a bit of an overreaction quickly became irrelevant, as the fact remains that the hype surrounding Larson’s Memorial Day double attempt was, and still is, enormous.
Just look at how much the general public is paying attention, including the many fans who are not typical IndyCar or Indy 500 fans. As another example, look at the increase in television ratings for qualifying last weekend.
The hype surrounding Larson’s effort could be arguably even more significant than Jimmie Johnson’s Indy 500 debut in 2022, Fernando Alonso’s Indy 500 debut in 2017 and Kurt Busch’s double run on Memorial Day in 2014. Now add in Danica Patrick’s 2018 return, which experts said would never happen.
Larson is one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers and is at the peak of his career.
By comparison, when Johnson was running the Indy 500, he had been two years removed from Cup Series competition, Alonso was one year removed from his (first) F1 retirement, Busch was ten years removed from a championship, and Patrick had been seven years removed from an IndyCar and was coming off a disappointing NASCAR career.
Larson has won a Cup Series-high 19 races since the start of the 2021 season, his first with Rick Hendrick’s team. His 10 wins that year were the most since Johnson won 10 races en route to winning the 2007 title.
Now, as one of the biggest names in motorsport prepares to take on “Racing’s Greatest Spectacle”, the most attended single-day sporting event on the planet, the late Robin Miller would be proud, to say the least.
Larson, who qualified fifth in last Sunday’s Firestone Fast Six session ( full starting lineup here ) and placed middle of the second row for the 200-lap race, is still listed at +700.
He was actually the favorite to win the overall race before Sunday, but now sits behind Team Penske’s trio of Scott McLaughlin (+500), Newgarden (+550) and Will Power (+650), all of whom qualified on the front row.
The complete odds are Found hereOdds are updated regularly and are subject to change.
Whether you’re a huge Larson fan or someone who just can’t stand the fact that everyone thinks he could actually compete in the Indy 500 and compete against seasoned veterans, former race winners and IndyCar champions, there’s no denying the positive impact his efforts will have on the best race in the world, and the NTT IndyCar Series itself.
And after years of talking about doing it, he finally did it.
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