Kyle Larson has a surreal full-circle moment at Arrow McLaren 12 years after first Indy 500 experience

Kyle Larson will compete at the 109th running of the Indy 500 in May as part of his second attempt at The Double, i.e., completing 1100 miles of racing - 500 at the Indy 500 and 600 at NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day. Ahead of the two-day open testing at the IMS on April 23 and 24, the former NASCAR champ spoke about his first memory at IndyCar's premier event.

In an interview with Arrow McLaren, the IndyCar team that will facilitate his Indy 500 attempt with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson spoke about his experience at the 2013 running of the race, which was won by now-Arrow McLaren Team Principal Tony Kanaan.

"My first real experience of the Indy 500 was 2013, when Tony Kanaan won and I got to go as a guest of Chip Ganassi," he said. "It was just really, really cool getting to walk down Gasoline Alley. I remember standing on pit wall, looking down the straightaway at the thousands of people there, and I was just like, 'Man, I’ve never been to an event like this before.'

"I always knew the Indy 500 was the biggest racing event in the world, but that day kind of proved to me how much bigger it is than any other event. That was cool to experience, so then to come back over 10 years later as a driver was pretty neat."

Kyle Larson made his debut at the Indy 500 11 years after that experience at the 108th running in 2024. However, it is in 2025 that his world will truly come full circle. The driver he saw win the Greatest Spectacle of Racing in 2013, Tony Kanaan, will be his replacement if he has to pull out of the event.

Kanaan raced his last Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren in 2023 before retiring from professional racing. He remained with the British team in an advisory role after that. In two years, he has worn many hats within the organization and was promoted to Team Principal before the 2025 season began.

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Kyle Larson names his biggest motivation for his second attempt at The Double

Kyle Larson drives his No. 17 Chevy at the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 - Source: Getty

Kyle Larson's first attempt at the double was spoiled by unfavorable weather. Heavy rains delayed the start of the Indy 500 by four hours. That meant he had to choose between staying at the IMS and completing the Indy 500 or flying to Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series went with the former, albeit he could do no better than a P18 finish. Moreover, when he reached Charlotte for the NASCAR race, it was called off even before he could race a single lap because of torrential weather.

As a result, his main motivation this year is to complete both races, like Tony Stewart did in 2001.

"My biggest motivation for doing it again is to actually complete the 1,100 miles. I just think it’s a cool feat. There haven’t been many people that have attempted it. We somewhat got to attempt it last year, but we didn’t get to run the second half of it, so I want to complete all the laps. I love racing and trying to challenge myself, and I think 1,100 miles in the same day is as challenging as it gets for a race car driver," the 33-year-old said via Arrow McLaren.

Kyle Larson will pilot the No. 17 Arrow McLaren/Hendrick Chevrolet at the Indy 500 this year once again. He will be McLaren's fourth entry alongside full-time drivers Pato O'Ward, Christian Lundgaard, and Nolan Siegel.