CHARLOTTE, NC – Kyle Larson will attempt to drive next year’s Indianapolis 500 with McLaren Racing in partnership with NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick.
The surprise announcement from McLaren and Hendrick on Thursday finally gives Larson a path to his dream race. It also means he will become just the fifth driver to ride “The Double” over Memorial Day weekend and race the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina on the same day. John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch are the other NASCAR drivers competing in both races.
Larson has long said he wants to race the Indy 500 but hasn’t had a viable Chevrolet opportunity for the May 2023 event of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
His entry with McLaren will be co-owned by Hendrick and sponsored by HendrickCars.com, the main sponsor of Larson’s drive in NASCAR.
“Competing in the Indianapolis 500 is a dream of mine and something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time – ever since I was a kid, before I even started competing in sprint cars,” said Larson. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it, even if it’s still about a year and a half away. I’m really looking forward to competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 and maybe even getting a win or two that day.”
McLaren had no place for Larson – or Kyle Busch – this year as the Arrow McLaren line-up for Indianapolis already includes four cars. The team expanded this year to add 2016 Indy 500 winner Alexander Rossi to its roster and brought in 2013 Indy winner Tony Kanaan for the 500.
To make room for the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion next season, McLaren has teamed up with Hendrick, who will compete in his first-ever IndyCar race as an owner. Hendrick Motorsports has won a record 291 Cup races and achieved 10 NASCAR victories on Indy’s 2.5 mile oval.
Larson is entering his third season as a driver for Hendrick Motorsports and was actively pursuing an Indy 500 drive. Rick Hendrick relaxed his stance on drivers competing in other series when he signed Larson, and teammate Alex Bowman competes in the Chili Bowl sprint car in Oklahoma this week.
“It was important to provide Kyle with top-notch gear and give him enough time to prepare for such a difficult challenge,” said Hendrick. “It will be very special for a car owner to enter a Chevrolet in the Indy 500. A collaboration like this was what we needed to make this happen and luckily the stars aligned.”
Larson, 30, who just welcomed his third child on December 31, has 19 Cup Series wins since his 2014 debut. He won NASCAR’s All-Star race in 2019 and 2021, the year he won 10 races and his only cup title. A native of Elk Grove, California, he has more than 400 career victories to his name in a variety of racing series and disciplines.
“The addition of Kyle Larson to the Indy 500 roster in 2024 with a HendrickCars.com partnership is exciting for both our Arrow McLaren team and race fans,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “He’s a complete rider known for racing anything on wheels, so I’m excited to see what Kyle can do.”
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