“He’s the guy paying for it”- Kyle Larson reflects on living ‘out a dream’ again in 2025, credits Rick Hendrick

Kyle Larson discussed the opportunity presented to him by Hendrick Motorsports to attempt the Memorial Day Double in 2025, in a recent interview. The 32-year-old made his Indy 500 debut followed by an attempt to start the Coca-Cola 600 race on the same day and become a handful of drivers to perform this historic feat. However, due to uncontrollable circumstances, Larson couldn't.

In an exclusive interview during EPARTRADE's 5th Annual Race Industry Week, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion said:

"I didn't get to do the double. So I wanted to get another opportunity so I could do the double and get to try and run 1100 miles."

Earlier this year, in May, after a rain-delayed Indianapolis 500 race, Larson failed to fly back to NASCAR's Charlotte Motor Speedway race in time, thus marking this historic Indy500-Coke600 double as an unsuccessful attempt.

Nevertheless, the Hendrick Motorsports star was handed another chance to finish his business in the upcoming season. The Elk Grover, California, native will again team up with the No. 17 of Arrow McLaren in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports for the 2025 Indy 500 race, followed by the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 race on the same day.

In the same conversation, the No. 5 Chevy driver continued the discussion and credited the Hall of Famer Hendrick for this opportunity.

"I think we all kind of agreed that, you know, we need to try it again and thankfully Rick Hendrick was on board," Kyle Larson said. "I mean, he's the guy, you know, paying for it all.[...] I have his support and his backing to go, you know, live out a dream and hopefully bring two good results and also bring Hendrickcars.com a lot of eyes to their business. So yeah, I'm very grateful for it and hopefully, this year will go better than this past one did."

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"We know what to expect": Rick Hendrick shared his thoughts on Kyle Larson's second attempt in the 2025 Memorial Day Double

In an official press release by the team, Rick Hendrick opened up on Kyle Larson's attempt to perform the Double at Indianapolis and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Moreover, he understood the forthcoming for the upcoming season to make it a success.

Hendrick said:

"Kyle had a great month of May and showed what a gifted race car driver he is. From a sponsorship perspective, we saw an incredible lift for HendrickCars.com and measured a three-to-one return on our investment. It was a monumental effort by all involved, but we didn’t have the opportunity to see it through (because of inclement weather). Everyone learned a great deal that we’ll take into next year.

"Now that we’ve experienced it once, we know what to expect, which can only make us better and more prepared. Zak and the team at Arrow McLaren are tremendous partners, and we’re looking forward to finishing the job together in 2025."

Kyle Larson of USA (17) driving for Arrow Mclaren races through turn two during the NTT IndyCar Series 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 26, 2024, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.- Source: Getty

It is worth mentioning that Kyle Larson qualified fifth in his debut IndyCar Series race and finished the race at P18. On the other hand, after a dominant 2024 NASCAR season with six wins, Larson ended the year sixth in the final driver's standings.