Kyle Larson's historic attempt at The Double has him favored to win one of the races

kyle larson's historic attempt at the double has him favored to win one of the races

May 14, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arrow McLaren/Rick Hendrick driver Kyle Larson (17) watches the rain fall Tuesday, May 14, 2024, during the first day of practice ahead of the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: IMAGN-876887 ORIG FILE ID: 20240514_jla_usa_052.jpg

A decade after Kurt Busch became the last race car driver to attempt the Memorial Day Double, Kyle Larson is gearing up to take on the cross-country event himself.

On Sunday morning, Larson will start the 108th Indianapolis 500 at 12:45 p.m. ET, then fly to Charlotte, North Carolina immediately after to drive NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600. It's one of the most unique feats in sports. Racing two different types of cars on the highest circuits has been attempted just 10 times by five drivers, but only four ended up qualifying for both. Larson would become the fifth to compete in both races on the same day if all goes well.

Tony Stewart is the only one to complete all 1,110 miles, finishing sixth in the 2001 Indy 500 before taking third in the Coca-Cola 600. Larson might just top that.

Despite the brutal day he has ahead, Larson is now the betting favorite to win the Coca-Cola 600 at BetMGM. After opening with +450 odds, he's moved to +475. That said, he's not getting much love from the public. Only 5.6 percent of all bets on the winner of the Coca-Cola 600 are on Larson as of Thursday. Chris Buescher has both the highest handle (11 percent) and tickets (7.6 percent).

Amazingly, Larson has the third-best odds (+675) to win the Indy 500 despite this being his first time in the race and his first IndyCar race overall. Only three rookies have ever won the 500 mile race with Alexander Rossi the last to do it in 2016. IndyCar titans Juan Pablo Montoya and Hélio Castroneves are the only other two drivers to take the checkered flag in their first Indy 500 race.

Larson will likely be hailed as a hero of the sport simply by finishing both races, but the expectations from oddsmakers are already setting a much higher bar for him to clear.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kyle Larson's historic attempt at The Double has him favored to win one of the races

OTHER NEWS

13 minutes ago

Toronto's Zach Edey eyes top 20 pick as Raptors continue rebuild in NBA draft

13 minutes ago

Aston Martin Valiant: A Hardcore Track Star With a Manual

13 minutes ago

Wes Streeting says Labour's rail nationalisation plan would bring down fares

13 minutes ago

Anthony Joshua set to land chance to become a three-time heavyweight champion against Daniel Dubois on September 21... as Oleksandr Usyk VACATES his IBF belt after taking rematch with Tyson Fury

13 minutes ago

Kevin Rudd joins Julian Assange as he arrives for court appearance

13 minutes ago

Now Nigel Farage suggests Zelensky should make peace with Putin

13 minutes ago

Multi-talented Kea Zawadi first female presenter of Algoa FM Top 30

13 minutes ago

5 free agents Kaizer Chiefs could bring to Naturena to bolster their squad

17 minutes ago

ESPN analyst ranks Patriots defense as top-five unit in NFL

17 minutes ago

Daybreak Foods, YES Programme partner to combat youth unemployment

17 minutes ago

CNBC Daily Open: Nvidia rallies after sell-off, lifts S&P 500 and Nasdaq

21 minutes ago

Gavin Newsom blasts 'delusional California bashers' in speech

22 minutes ago

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is Teasing Answers to a Big Qunari Mystery

22 minutes ago

Fed's Bowman Says 'Not Yet' Appropriate to Cut Rates

22 minutes ago

Why Dunkin' Donuts' New Commercial Actress Looks So Familiar

22 minutes ago

Costly election pledges in France stoke fears of splurges that risk pushing country deeper into debt

22 minutes ago

Mark Cuban offloads 14 NFTs from his collection in two days

22 minutes ago

Rashee Rice on maturity: 'This is a step in a better direction for me'

22 minutes ago

Oleksandr Usyk no longer undisputed champion just a month after beating Tyson Fury

22 minutes ago

Julian Assange formally admits spying charge as part of a plea deal with US authorities

22 minutes ago

The Continuous Hockey Hall of Fame Snub of Former Maple Leafs Forward Alex Mogilny is Starting to Get Ridiculous

25 minutes ago

Kelowna city manager earned $100K more than B.C. premier in 2023

28 minutes ago

Higher ed: Top CUNY official gets eye-popping 16% pay bump, bringing salary to over $320K

28 minutes ago

Sydney’s Luna Park listed for sale, tipped to fetch $70m price tag

28 minutes ago

LeBron James And Anthony Davis Want The Lakers To Go "All-In" On Another Superstar

28 minutes ago

Kane on England - Slovenia and Bayern Munich future

28 minutes ago

Government lays foundation for social housing upswing

28 minutes ago

Glastonbury weather forecast: Festival to be dry says Met Office - but it still may rain

28 minutes ago

Fatima Payman avoids expulsion from Labor Party

28 minutes ago

Alimentation Couche-Tard earnings drop as consumers watch spending

28 minutes ago

Ravens TE says he's a 'chess piece,' will play all over field

28 minutes ago

PFF ranks Falcons' defensive line among the worst in NFL

28 minutes ago

England booed after advancing at Euro 2024

31 minutes ago

Canada beat 10-man Peru 1-0 to boost Copa America knockout stage hopes

31 minutes ago

Keppel Infrastructure Trust unit secures $612.5 million green loan

35 minutes ago

American woman goes missing while attending yoga retreat in the Bahamas

35 minutes ago

Woman pleads guilty to murder of Hollywood consultant and social justice advocate

35 minutes ago

BHP shares fall on decarbonisation update

35 minutes ago

When was the first Black Barbie made? Later than you think, as we learn in this new Netflix documentary

35 minutes ago

There may be a deeper meaning to Andy Petree's sudden retirement