Former IndyCar star James Hinchcliffe believes Kyle Larson will be a 'contender' in the Indy 500
This Memorial Day Weekend, Kyle Larson will attempt Double Duty in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. James Hinchcliffe expects him to do well. In fact, Hinchcliffe compared Larson to another NASCAR star who made an attempt at the double.
Hinchcliffe, an accomplished driver in IndyCar in his own right with six career wins, was a teammate at Andretti Autosport with Kurt Busch for 2014 for the Indy 500. There, he saw Busch prep over the course of a month for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Knowing what he knew about Busch and knowing what he knows now about Kyle Larson, Hinchcliffe believes Larson has a better chance of winning. To his credit, Busch finished 6th in the 2014 Indy 500.
It’s the extra test at Phoenix and the overall prep that Larson will have going into the race that impresses Hinchcliffe.
“I got the pleasure of being teammates with Kurt Busch the last time a Cup driver tried the double, and I was super impressed with how he performed over the month,” Hinchcliffe said. “Kyle Larson is coming in with just as much professionalism but probably even more prep, having done the Phoenix test, and I’m fully expecting him to be a contender at the Indy 500.”
Kyle Larson has a real chance to outperform Kurt Busch in his Double Duty attempt. Busch finished P6 in the Indy 500 but P40 at Charlotte in the NASCAR race, finishing just 271 laps.
Kyle Larson preparing for Indy 500 debut
Once we get to April, Larson is going to get a ton of practice time for the Indy 500. Of course, he will have to fit all of that between his NASCAR duties and whatever else he has going on. He races an awful lot outside of Sundays.
If you had to pick anyone from NASCAR right now to do this Double Duty attempt, it would likely be Larson. Kyle Busch has expressed interest in participating in the Indy 500 as well but has had trouble finding a ride.
It is a good thing that Larson had that Phoenix test, too. He was able to get loose and experience what it was like to lose control of his car for a moment. Even better, he kept it under his control for the most part.
Kyle Larson is incredibly talented, as he demonstrated Sunday in Las Vegas. However, this Indy 500, Coca-Cola 600 double is going to be his hardest test yet. How he performs could take his career to new heights and open up more opportunities for him. Or it could be a sore spot on an otherwise Hall of Fame career.