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Dale Earnhardt Jr., a NASCAR Hall of Famer and one of the biggest names in all of stock car racing deemed Kyle Larson running the Double as a significant event. NASCAR's most popular driver from 2003 until his retirement in 2017, Earnhardt Jr. is credited with taking NASCAR to the mainstream and elaborated on the importance of Larson's upcoming appearances.
In a recent appearance on the Speed Street podcast, Earnhardt explained why Larson running the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day was important not just for those in NASCAR and IndyCar, but for all of motorsports.
"Anytime that we have one of the NASCAR guys going to compete, that's a big deal. I mean, I can't describe how important and cool and great that is for motorsports in general," Earnhardt Jr. said.
Junior recalled how as a driver before the Coca-Cola 600, he would be watching the Indy 500, which to him was a "happy welcome distraction" from the traditional anxiety of a race day morning. He remarked how watching the Indy 500 came from a place of appreciation and respect for the stock car world.
"And anytime any of our drivers would come over, man, it was even better. We were even more interested in how that might play out and how successful they might be," he elaborated.
Danica Patrick believes Kyle Larson has a shot at going all the way in the 500
In May of 2023, former NASCAR and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick talked about Kyle Larson's chances at the Indy 500. As quoted by For The Win, she said,
"With a guy like Kyle and a good team, there's always a chance to win the Indy 500. It is a tall challenge to feel really good in the car when it's not what you do because open-wheeled cars are very different than stock cars. And I know he drives open-wheeled cars, but most of the time when he's driving an open-wheeled car, he's on dirt and not going 240 [miles an hour] on pavement," Patrick said.
She added that considering all of those things, Larson would want to keep the things she mentioned in "second nature" because of how tough it is to have a good day in the Indy 500.
Having said that, Patrick expressed her confidence in Larson having a good performance in Indianapolis.
