NASCAR driver, Kurt Busch, will attempt to become only the fourth driver to run both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day joining Tony Stewart, John Andretti and Robby Gordon.
Busch, 35, will make his first Indianapolis 500 qualifying attempt driving for Andretti Autosport Indy car. His entry will complete a stable of five cars for Michael Andretti's championship winning IndyCar team.
It is not the first pairing of Busch and Andretti Autosport, however, as in 2013 Busch completed a test day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the team and in the process passed the mandated Rookie Orientation program effectively setting the possibility of the "Double" into motion.
"That was a whole kid in a candy store moment of experiencing an open-wheel car at 220 mph," he said.
"You can definitely get a different appreciation for the track and its heritage with an open-wheel car versus a stock car that I've done the last 15 years there. It got my mind going and my juices flowing on 'I want to do this.' The adrenaline and excitement was there, but last year just didn't seem like the right timing. Now 11 months of chewing on the fat and working on the details, I'm more excited than ever to do this."
According to Busch this fulfills a life-long dream.
"My dad, a Mac Tools distributor, and I would go to car shows and see Indy cars and he'd say, 'This is about as close as you'll ever get to one of these things' because it was so far removed from what we could dream as a small blue-collar family from Las Vegas," Busch said.
"It's just the different opportunities that have come up in motorsports (that have led me) to this biggest moment outside of stock cars.
"It was a talk over dinner (with his agent, John Caponigro) one night on 'what if?' and now it's all becoming a reality for me to drive in the Indy 500 with Andretti. I went once to watch the '500' with Roger Penske when I first signed a contract with him to drive stock cars. To feel it, to experience it, I'm going to actually revert back to that to try to block out some of the emotional excitement of what it means to be part of the '500.' To drive in it this year, nothing is going to compare, nothing can prepare or get me ready when they drop that green flag and 33 of us rush into Turn 1."
How will he do it?
Busch will start the two week Indy 500 stretch in Indianapolis May 11th, fresh from the NASCAR race in Kansas. After spending the week testing the Honda-powered Indy Dallara, Busch will log some serious air miles traveling between Indianapolis and Charlotte so he can qualify for the 500-mile race and practice and qualify for the NASCAR All-Star race and that Series' 600-mile race.
In total Busch will likely make more than ten trips between Indianapolis and Charlotte - the most important and time sensitive being race day.
Race day will place Busch in Indianapolis in the morning for the noon ET start time of the Indianapolis 500 before he makes the trip to Charlotte for the 6 p.m. ET green flag.
Busch, 35, will make his first Indianapolis 500 qualifying attempt driving for Andretti Autosport Indy car. His entry will complete a stable of five cars for Michael Andretti's championship winning IndyCar team.
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| Kurt Busch during his Rookie Orientation test. (Photo: Chris Jones) |
It is not the first pairing of Busch and Andretti Autosport, however, as in 2013 Busch completed a test day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the team and in the process passed the mandated Rookie Orientation program effectively setting the possibility of the "Double" into motion.
"That was a whole kid in a candy store moment of experiencing an open-wheel car at 220 mph," he said.
"You can definitely get a different appreciation for the track and its heritage with an open-wheel car versus a stock car that I've done the last 15 years there. It got my mind going and my juices flowing on 'I want to do this.' The adrenaline and excitement was there, but last year just didn't seem like the right timing. Now 11 months of chewing on the fat and working on the details, I'm more excited than ever to do this."
According to Busch this fulfills a life-long dream.
"My dad, a Mac Tools distributor, and I would go to car shows and see Indy cars and he'd say, 'This is about as close as you'll ever get to one of these things' because it was so far removed from what we could dream as a small blue-collar family from Las Vegas," Busch said.
"It's just the different opportunities that have come up in motorsports (that have led me) to this biggest moment outside of stock cars.
"It was a talk over dinner (with his agent, John Caponigro) one night on 'what if?' and now it's all becoming a reality for me to drive in the Indy 500 with Andretti. I went once to watch the '500' with Roger Penske when I first signed a contract with him to drive stock cars. To feel it, to experience it, I'm going to actually revert back to that to try to block out some of the emotional excitement of what it means to be part of the '500.' To drive in it this year, nothing is going to compare, nothing can prepare or get me ready when they drop that green flag and 33 of us rush into Turn 1."
 |
| Kurt Busch during his Rookie Orientation test. (Photo: Chris Jones) |
How will he do it?
Busch will start the two week Indy 500 stretch in Indianapolis May 11th, fresh from the NASCAR race in Kansas. After spending the week testing the Honda-powered Indy Dallara, Busch will log some serious air miles traveling between Indianapolis and Charlotte so he can qualify for the 500-mile race and practice and qualify for the NASCAR All-Star race and that Series' 600-mile race.
In total Busch will likely make more than ten trips between Indianapolis and Charlotte - the most important and time sensitive being race day.
Race day will place Busch in Indianapolis in the morning for the noon ET start time of the Indianapolis 500 before he makes the trip to Charlotte for the 6 p.m. ET green flag.