Kyle Larson gets ready to run his first IndyCar laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Kyle Larson took to the track behind the wheel of the No. 17 Hendrick Chevrolet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, marking his highly anticipated debut in the NTT INDYCAR Series car. This marked his first-ever experience driving an NTT INDYCAR SERIES vehicle as part of the Rookie Orientation Program.

Larson is aiming to achieve a rare feat known as the "double" during the Memorial Day weekend, which involves competing in both the Indianapolis 500 in the morning and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte that same night.

Accomplishing this double challenge would place him in the esteemed company of drivers like John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon, and Kurt Busch, with Busch being the most recent to complete it in 2014. Among these, Tony Stewart's 2001 attempt stands as one of the most successful, finishing sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte.

On Thursday, Kyle Larson has allocated three hours for his rookie test before he heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where the South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series race will take place on Sunday. Following Larson's completion of the ROP, the track will become available for Hybrid testing.

Among the drivers participating in this test of the Hybrid Assist unit are Colton Herta from Andretti Autosport, Alex Palou representing Chip Ganassi Racing, Will Power from Team Penske, and Alexander Rossi from Arrow McLaren.

"It was fun, I guess mostly what I had anticipated in a way" - Kyle Larson on Rookie Orientation Program

Kyle Larson took the helm of the No. 17 Arrow-McLaren race car, which proudly displayed its striking orange and blue livery with primary sponsorship from HendrickCars.com. Larson's objective for the day was to partake in the NTT IndyCar Series Rookie Orientation Program at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He received official confirmation from IndyCar race control that he had effectively finished the Rookie Orientation Program, and this thrilling moment was captured in a video shared by Nathan Brown of the Indy Star, where the radio announced, that Car 17 had completed the Rookie Orientation Program.

According to USA Today, Kyle Larson said:

"It was fun, I guess mostly what I had anticipated in a way. The speed and the grip didn't feel, thankfully, scarier than I thought it might."

He added:

But there was -- like just how much the car pulls left, and you have to fight it to the right down the straightaways, All of that was something I didn't expect. The weight of the wheel was a lot lighter than the simulator, but still maybe a little heavier than I expected. Other than that, I think it went smoothly."

Kyle Larson thoroughly enjoyed his inaugural experience driving an IndyCar, although he noted that things were somewhat different from his previous simulator sessions.