In 1992,
Musco Lighting Company installed lights at
Charlotte Motor Speedway, becoming the first
"speedway" to allow for night racing. For 1992,
The Winston was held under-the-lights, but the Coca-Cola 600 was still held during the afternoon. In 1993, the start time for the Coca-Cola 600 was moved to 4:30 p.m. eastern, which eliminated overlap with the Indy 500, and the race became an evening/night race. The 4:30 p.m. start time did not yet allow adequate time for a competitor to complete both, but the idea was planted, and subsequent years, the start time for the 600 was moved later, and a travel window would open up.
1994 was the first driver to attempt "Double Duty" in 1994. IndyCar veteran
John Andretti switched full-time to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series starting in 1994, but desired to also compete in the Indy 500. Andretti announced that he would become the first driver ever to attempt to drive in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. Andretti successfully qualified for both events, and planned a detailed travel itinerary. On race day, Andretti got off to a good start early on. He was running as high as third at Indianapolis during the first half of the race. At the checkered flag, Andretti finished 10th at Indy. He then immediately boarded a helicopter to the airport. He flew to Charlotte, and arrived in just enough time to make the start for the Coca-Cola 600. Since Andretti missed the pre-race drivers' meeting, he was forced to start at the back of the field at Charlotte. He dropped out on lap 220 with engine failure, and finished 36th. Later in the year, Andretti raced in the
Inaugural Brickyard 400. Indy 500 veterans
Danny Sullivan,
A. J. Foyt, and
Geoff Brabham also qualified for the event. But Andretti became the first driver to compete in both events in the same season.
1995 IndyCar veteran
Davy Jones announced plans to attempt the "Double Duty." He qualified at Indy, but failed to qualify at Charlotte.
1996 No drivers or teams expressed interest in attempting the double in 1996. Meanwhile, the
open wheel "split" was the focus of the month at Indy.
1997 has attempted "Double Duty" five times. IndyCar veteran
Robby Gordon switched full-time to NASCAR for 1997. Driving for the
Felix Sabates SABCO Racing team, he was entered in both races, a highly funded, and highly publicized effort. On race day, however, the Indy 500 was rained out, and the opportunity for the true "Double Duty" was eliminated. Gordon departed the grounds, and went directly to Charlotte when the postponement was announced. Gordon finished 41st at Charlotte after a crash. On Monday, Gordon flew back to Indy, and started the race. The race was halted on lap 15 due to rain, and the conclusion was pushed into Tuesday. On Tuesday, Gordon dropped out early with a fire, and finished 29th.
1998 No drivers attempted the "Double Duty," but one crew member worked both races.
Dale Earnhardt's gasman
Danny "Chocolate" Myers was invited to also serve as the fueler for
Billy Boat's car at
A.J. Foyt Racing.
1999 Tony Stewart, an IRL regular from 1996 to 1998, switched to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series for the 1999 season. He arranged to attempt "Double Duty" for the first time in
1999. On pole day at Indy, Stewart had to make his qualifying attempt, then quickly fly to Charlotte in order to participate in the
Winston Open. He was forced to take a fairly slow speed in time trials, and ended up qualifying 24th at Indy. That evening, Stewart won the Winston Open, and finished second in the main event,
The Winston. On race day, Stewart finished 9th at the Indy 500, but was not much of a factor. At Charlotte, he led laps, and finished 4th.
Robby Gordon and
Roberto Moreno became the first two drivers to compete in a
CART event and then at the Indianapolis 500 on consecutive days. The
Motorola 300 at
Gateway was held on Saturday May 29. Moreno finished 4th, and Gordon crashed and finished 27th. On Sunday May 30, Gordon and Moreno both returned to Indy. Gordon nearly won, running out of fuel just shy of the white flag. He ended up 4th. Moreno dropped out and finished 20th.
2000 Robby Gordon attempted "Double Duty" for the second time. On race day, rain delayed the start of the Indy 500 by three hours. Gordon remained at Indianapolis, and started the race as planned. He finished 6th, and back-up driver
P. J. Jones started his car at Charlotte instead. After the Indy 500 was over, Gordon flew to Charlotte, and during a pit stop, took over the car from Jones. He drove the car to a 35th-place finish. Three other drivers competed in multiple events during the weekend.
Juan Pablo Montoya and
Jimmy Vasser participated in the
CART Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix at
Nazareth Speedway on Saturday, the day before the Indy 500. Montoya finished 4th, and Vasser 7th. Also on Saturday,
Jason Leffler traveled to
Charlotte to participate in the
NASCAR Busch Series Carquest Auto Parts 300. Leffler finished 21st at Charlotte. All three were back to Indy on Sunday.
2001 For the second time,
Tony Stewart decided to attempt "Double Duty." Still part of
Joe Gibbs Racing in NASCAR, he signed with
Chip Ganassi Racing for Indy. On race day, Stewart was a factor all day, leading 13 laps. Despite a brief rain shower, the race did not have a significant delay. Stewart wound up finishing 6th at Indy, on the lead lap. He immediately departed for Charlotte, and made it to the track in just enough time. Starting last due to missing the drivers' meeting, Stewart spun out on lap 2, but claimed it was not due to fatigue. As the race continued, Stewart climbed up the standings, and finished third, on the lead lap. He became the first, and to date, only driver to complete all 1,100 miles of both races in the same day.
2002 Robby Gordon attempted "Double Duty" for the third time, and for the first time, rain did not interfere with his effort. At Indy, he finished 8th on the lead lap. At Charlotte, he started last (due to missing the drivers' meeting), but worked his way up to the top five. He started suffering from handling problems, and cramps in his leg, and he fell two laps down. He made up one lap, and finished 16th. At the end of the day, he was one lap short of completing the entire 1,100 miles.
2003 Robby Gordon attempted "Double Duty" for the fourth time. He qualified on the front row at Indy, but dropped out with gearbox trouble (22nd place). Due to his early retirement, and with adequate time, Gordon received a police escort by car to the airport instead of a helicopter ride. At Charlotte, Gordon was running 17th when the race was called for rain on lap 276 of 400 (414 miles). A week after race day,
ESPN aired a one-hour documentary profiling the effort.
2004 For the third year in a row and fifth time overall,
Robby Gordon attempted "Double Duty." On race day, rain delayed the start of the Indy 500 by two hours. Gordon started the race as planned. On lap 27, the red flag came out for rain, and the race was halted. It appeared that the rest of the day would likely be a washout, so Gordon departed for Charlotte. After another two hours, the track dried, and the race resumed.
Jaques Lazier was standing by, and climbed in Gordon's car to drive relief. He worked his way up the standings, but dropped out on lap 88 with a broken axle. Meanwhile, at Charlotte, Gordon finished 20th, three laps down. On
Bump Day (May 23),
Tony Stewart created a stir when he made an unexpected visit to the Speedway. After finishing third the previous night in the
NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, Stewart was seen in the
Foyt garages climbing into a car and at one point even donned a driver's suit. The car was wheeled to the pits and it appeared Stewart was preparing to take practice laps. Members of the media converged, and rumors began buzzing around the track about a possible "Double Duty" attempt. Stewart awaited permission from his sponsors to drive the car, but no deal could be arranged.
A. J. Foyt and Stewart were given the dubious
"Jigger Award" for pumping life into an otherwise uneventful day.
2005–2012 In 2005, the start time for the Indy 500 was moved to 12 p.m. EST (1 p.m. EDT), which significantly reduced the amount of time available for travel between the events. From 2005 to 2010, the time frame was deemed insufficient, and despite various rumors of possible attempts over the years, the opportunity to perform "Double Duty" was effectively on hiatus. During this period, while no drivers attempted to compete in both races, some drivers and owners attended both races in whole or in part. In 2006, Penske Racing's
Kurt Busch was in attendance at Indianapolis the morning of the race and watched the start of the 500 as a guest of Team Penske. Shortly after, he flew to Charlotte to arrive in time for the drivers meeting, and raced in the 600. In 2007, Richard Petty watched the start of the Indy 500, along with Robbie Loomis and Dale Inman. They then flew to Charlotte to attend the 600. Car owner Chip Ganassi was also scheduled to attend both races, but due to a mid-race rain delay, remained at Indy. In 2010, Ganassi won at Indy with driver
Dario Franchitti, then later flew to Charlotte to take in the second half of the 600. His driver
Jamie McMurray finished second in the 600. For 2011, the start time for the Indy 500 was moved back to 12 noon EDT, which effectively re-opened the travel window and made it possible to attempt "Double Duty" once again. Rumors began to surface that drivers (namely
Robby Gordon) were interested in making the attempt. NASCAR regulars
Jimmie Johnson and
Kasey Kahne also reportedly expressed interest, and a rumor of a
$20 million award for winning both races circulated. No plans ever materialized. A year later, despite some rumors about possibly doing the double in 2012,
Danica Patrick also nixed plans to compete in both races.
2013 In early
May 2013,
2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion
Kurt Busch tested for
Andretti Autosport at Indianapolis, opening up the possibility of a "Double Duty" attempt in 2014. During the private test, Busch reached a top lap of 218 mph. Busch successfully passed his initial rookie test for the Indianapolis 500.
2014 On March 4, 2014, it was announced that
Kurt Busch would attempt "Double Duty" with
Andretti Autosport. The effort was done in-part to help raise awareness for military veterans with
PTSD and
TBI. Busch took part in a refresher test on April 29, and a week later participated in the annual Rookie Orientation Program. Busch led the speed chart on Rookie Orientation day, then posted the second-fastest speed on May 13. On May 17, the first day of time trials, Busch made two qualifying attempts, and posted the 10th-fastest speed, just missing the Fast Nine Shootout. Just moments after his second attempt, he boarded a helicopter and then flew to Charlotte to compete in the
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Busch finished 11th in the
All-Star Race, then flew back to Indianapolis for the second day of time trials. On May 18, Busch qualified for the 12th starting position for the Indy 500. On Monday, Busch participated in the post-qualifying practice session at Indy. About an hour and a half into the session, he suffered a hard crash in the exit of turn two. He was uninjured but forced to switch to a backup car for Carb Day and race day. On race day at Indianapolis, Busch started 12th, and fell back to as low as 20th. Although he was not a factor for the win, he finished on the lead lap in 6th and was the highest-finishing rookie. He tied with Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart as the three drivers to finish 6th, the best Indianapolis finish for Double Duty drivers. Busch arrived in
Charlotte with time to spare, but was still required to start at the rear of the field due to missing the mandatory pre-race driver's meeting. He ran as high as the top 15, but ultimately failed to finish with a mid-race engine failure. He completed a total of of racing. Busch was named the Indy 500
Rookie of the Year. Busch's effort was documented on the
NBCSN series
36.
2015–2023 Indiana native
Jeff Gordon, during his last Cup Series season, drove the
pace car at the start of the
2015 Indianapolis 500 before flying to Charlotte for the
Coca-Cola 600. He has never competed in the Indy 500, although he did win the
Brickyard 400 five times. In 2015, Doug Rice, the anchor of the
Performance Racing Network, as well as the anchor for the Brickyard 400 on the
IMS Radio Network, joined the broadcast crew as a pit reporter for the Indy 500. Rice performed broadcasting "double duty", working the pits for the Indy 500, then flying to
Charlotte Motor Speedway to call the
Coca-Cola 600 later that evening. He is believed to be the first broadcaster to cover both races in-person on the same day. For
2016,
2017,
2018 and
2019, despite some very early rumors, no drivers attempted double duty at Indy and Charlotte. In 2020, the
COVID-19 pandemic caused the
Indianapolis 500 to be moved from May to August while the
Coca-Cola 600 remained on its scheduled date. While it was consequently possible for a driver to compete in both races, the rescheduled Indy 500 date fell on the same day as a Cup race at
Dover International Speedway, making it impossible to run both races.
James Davison skipped the practice session at Indy following the Fast 9 Shootout to compete in that day's
Go Bowling 235 Cup race at the Daytona Road Course. Complications from the pandemic extended into 2021 as the
Indianapolis 500 qualifying clashed with the Cup Series'
Texas Grand Prix. In order to compete at both COTA and the Indy 500, NASCAR drivers would have had to sacrifice practice time at both events. In addition, the race at COTA started almost immediately after the Fast 9 Shootout at Indy, ruling out a pole run. Davison and Cup teammate
Cody Ware initially entered the Indy 500 but opted to remain in NASCAR and run the 600, though the latter was due to a lack of sponsorship.
2024 On January 12, 2023, it was announced that
Kyle Larson would attempt Double Duty on May 26, 2024, entering the
Indianapolis 500 for
Arrow McLaren, and the
Cola–Cola 600 for
Hendrick Motorsports. Because of the Indy 500's qualifying schedule, Larson missed the
NASCAR All-Star Race heat races on Saturday afternoon (May 18) at
North Wilkesboro Speedway. The recently retired
Kevin Harvick filled in for Larson. (Harvick was still eligible for the All-Star race in his own right). Larson flew back to North Carolina from Indianapolis late Sunday afternoon after qualifying for fifth place on the Indy 500 starting grid, and got to North Wilkesboro in time for the All-Star race, after
NASCAR adjusted the start time to accommodate him. During the days leading up to the 500, retired driver
Tony Kanaan was rumored as a possible replacement driver for Larson at the "500" in case of weather issues.
Nolan Siegel was later announced as the stand-by driver (but he was not used). On race day, due to rain, the start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed by four hours. Larson elected to stay in Indianapolis and drive the full race. He finished 18th, suffering a pit road speed limit penalty during the second half, which essentially took him out of contention.
Justin Allgaier was standing by as a relief driver in Charlotte and started the Coca-Cola 600 in Larson's car. Allgaier drove the first 249 laps (of 400) in his place. Larson arrived at Charlotte just as a weather delay (rain and lightning) halted the race on lap 249. Larson was preparing to take over the car if and when the race was resumed. However, the race was eventually called official by NASCAR due to difficulty of track drying from high humidity and the potential of racing late into the early hours of morning. Additionally,
Jimmie Johnson was scheduled to be part of the
NBC broadcast team for the Indianapolis 500, and then was to fly to Charlotte to race in the Coca-Cola 600. However, he opted to only race in the 600 due to the weather in Indianapolis. He would have become the first person to announce one race and drive in the other on the same day.
2025 On September 10, 2024, it was announced that Kyle Larson will once again attempt the Indianapolis 500 with
Arrow McLaren, and the Coca-Cola 600 with
Hendrick Motorsports, in 2025. Larson crashed out of the Indianapolis 500 on the 92nd lap. Had Larson not crashed, he would not have been able to complete the race and reach Charlotte in time for the Coca-Cola 600; the Indy race had been delayed by intermittent rain showers, pushing start time to 1:29 p.m, with eventual winner
Alex Palou not crossing the finish line until 4:26 p.m., 19 minutes after Larson's hard limit time. Tony Kanaan served as stand-by driver. Larson pressed forward with plans to race in Charlotte that night. At the Coca-Cola 600, after recovering from a spinout on lap 42, Larson collided with Daniel Suarez's car on lap 245 and withdrew after the damage proved too much to repair, resulting in the first Double Duty DNF since Robby Gordon in 1997, and first to occur on the same day. After the race, Larson indicated that he would be interested in racing the Indianapolis 500 again but determined that Double Duty would be nearly impossible to pull off because of the time constraints, noting that exhaustion from the Indy race attempt affected his performance in Charlotte. Additionally, semi-retired driver
Jimmie Johnson drove retired NFL player
Tom Brady one lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a specially built two-seat IndyCar prior to the start of the 500 before flying to Charlotte to make his 700th career start in the
NASCAR Cup Series. ==Race results==