Kurt Busch will attempt to run both the 2014 Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600
The Double's next attempter is Kurt Busch.
Busch's flirting with IndyCars has become a fling as Andretti Autosport announced Tuesday that the 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion would attempt the 2014 Indianapolis 500 in one of its cars while also attempting the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte on the same day May 25.
Last year, he completed the Indianapolis 500's rookie orientation program driving an Andretti car while with his Cup team Furniture Row Racing.
This year, Busch is driving for Stewart-Haas Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. Stewart famously did the double for the final time in 2001 when he finished sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte. He's the only driver to make it all 1,100 miles and the best two finishes of of the three drivers (Stewart, Robby Gordon and John Andretti) who have tried.
According to Andretti's release, Busch is likely to make 10 trips back-and-forth between Charlotte and Indianapolis before and during Memorial Day weekend to make the attempt at both races a success. He will not try an IndyCar race before the 500.
“It’s great having Tony as the co-owner of my NASCAR team as, in the weeks leading up to the month of May, it gives me a chance to talk with him about his personal experiences with the “Double” – to anticipate what’s next and have things checked off the list so that I’m mentally and physically prepared for the challenge," Busch said in the release. "I owe a big thanks to Tony, (SHR co-owner) Gene Haas, and the partners at Stewart-Haas – including General Motors – for allowing me to fulfill this dream, to challenge myself in motorsports and to do something special in this day and age.”
The shoutout to his car manufacturer is because Andretti switched to Honda engines before the 2014 season. Had Busch been able to do both races in 2013, there would have been no automaker conflict. Both Furniture Row and Andretti fielded Chevrolets.
The last driver to try both races in the same day was Gordon, who did it in 2004. That year he finished 21st at Indy and 31st at Charlotte. Stewart famously got an offer from Roger Penske last year to try the Indianapolis 500 along with the 600, but he declined.
This isn't the first time Busch has made a foray outside of NASCAR either. In March, 2011, Busch qualified for the NHRA Gatornationals in the Pro Stock division. He lost in the first round.
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