If there is anyone who comes close to matching Tony Stewart’s versatility, it has to be Kyle Larson. Stewart is the only driver in the history of the sport to have successfully completed the ‘double duty’. He ran all 1100 miles back in 2001. First, the Indianapolis 500, and then fly the same day to Charlotte to complete the Coca-Cola 600. It’s an incredibly challenging feat, and last season, Larson wanted to become the next driver to achieve it. However, he completed the Indy 500, and when he came to Charlotte, the race was cut short by the rain, and Larson could not run a single lap. But still, what was incredible was how easily Larson adapted to the IndyCar. Recently, he revealed why!

It’s no secret that an open-wheel car and a stock car are miles apart from each other. However, that’s not what Kyle Larson felt. That’s probably why, in such a short while, he was able to master it. Remember when Larson, being a rookie, drove the car to a P5 finish in the Indy 500 qualifying race? This was also his IndyCar debut, so to get a P5 start was impressive. And then, even in the race, he even led 4 laps before his car faced some issues, and he finished 18th. Larson’s adaptability was probably why Rick Hendrick is giving him a second chance at it. Recently, Larson made an unusual revelation about driving the two cars!

How did Kyle Larson figure out IndyCar so quickly?

Even Tony Kanaan, Larson’s IndyCar coach and 2004 IndyCar champion, was shocked when Larson came in to run the test rounds last season. He said, “I was really excited for his first day in Indy, and after he did his rookie test, in typical Kyle [fashion], he was like ‘Yeah, it’s okay, it’s not a big deal.’” Well, Kanaan’s amazement is understandable, but Larson’s a sprint car regular, 3 times Chili Bowl champion, and has also won the 24 hours of Daytona. So, he basically comes packed with versatility. And not just that, what really aided him was that he found similarities between the two cars.

Kyle Larson was recently in a chat with Dale Earnhardt Jr. And in his Dale Jr Download podcast, Larson said, “Nothing about the Indy car felt any different than the next gen car. Once we went from the old car to the next gen car. That sharpness of grip to no grip, was much tighter. So I think the time I spent in the next gen car made that transition not that difficult for the IndyCar. Just the way it felt.”

Well, it’s probably Larson being Larson that’s made him feel this way. As on paper, the cars are vastly different. The next-generation car is equipped with a V8 engine that delivers nearly 700 horsepower—670 hp for most tracks, such as road courses, short tracks, and intermediate ovals, and 510 hp for restrictor plate races or what we call Superspeedways. It features a sequential transmission. In contrast to the 2.2L twin-turbo V6 engine used in IndyCars, the two vehicles are significantly different in design and performance.

While technically the cars might be different, it’s the feel that is similar for Larson. “The front tires felt my hands and the rear tires you could feel it in your butt. It all related. So I was happy when I did have those moments at Phoenix. I could feel it coming before it happened. The getting to go to Indy out there actually with cars was pretty neat too. You know the first time I got to do that. And just like visually, how different that looks. And the feels not that different with traffic.” Larson added.

But still, there was one thing that Larson found challenging and different in the two cars. It was how he could not tell who the guy running in front of him in IndyCar was. “But visually it’s tough. Because you don’t know who you are behind, like stock cars you can tell who you are behind. It says their name on the window. But in IndyCar I had no clue who I was around. So I had to have spotters help me.” 

And well, the double duty is not until May 26th, and they are not leaving any stone unturned for this time to be a success!

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Kyle Larson’s got the best guy for the job!

Like last season, even this year, it’s Tony Kanaan who is coaching Kyle Larson. Kanaan is currently serving as the team principal for the Arrow McLaren in the 2025 IndyCar season. And Kanaan knows what it is like to win the Indy 500, he achieved that feat in 2013. And he’s been very careful in guiding Larson. Speaking of his process, he said, “We’ll go through it, but to me. before, engineers, they were trying to—like—we need to give him all this information. I said, Just relax. Let me talk, driver. You guys stay out. What do you need? And even on the radio, I said to Kyle, ‘Look, we have the front bar and the rear bar…’”

Kanaan is more of a practical guy; he wanted Larson to feel the car and figure things out based on instinct. According to him, that way, he’d learn it faster. “…I gave him the technical part, but I said don’t worry about it. If the car feels like that, ask. That was all I did— to filter out how we let him to deal with and understand the situation,” Kanaan added. And clearly this has worked, as Larson and team haven’t changed their approach this season as well.

Speaking on his prep for the 2025 Indy 500, Larson said, “I thought I was well prepared the first time around. So, I don’t think there was much I would do differently. I felt like I did a good job with my nutrition and my fitness and all that.” However, a few technical things have been changed since the last time in the car, so that’s the only part Larson needs to figure out.

“Like, when you look at the wheel, it’s super complicating and all that, but once I realized like, once I got in the car last year, I’m like, ‘Oh, you’re really only worried about one dial, maybe, and couple buttons.’ But this year with the hybrid, I feel like you’ve got a little bit more maybe going on, you know, throughout a lapse, so we’ll see.” But surely Larson would figure it out in no time. And if all goes well, who knows, he might even win the race.

Folks, what do you think are Larson’s chances of successfully completing the double? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.