Double Duty


Double Duty is an American auto racing term used to describe one of the most difficult feats in motorsport: in a single day, competing in both the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Indianapolis 500 is the most prestigious IndyCar race, while the Coca-Cola 600, the longest event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, has for years been considered one of NASCAR's most important races. Both races are run on the same day on Memorial Day weekend: the Indianapolis 500 run in the early afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 in the evening. A driver who pulls off the “Double” competes at Indianapolis first, then boards an airplane after the race and flies to Charlotte to complete the feat.
Double Duty is physically demanding and mentally draining; a driver must be in a race car for most of the day, racing for more than 1,000 miles with little or no rest. It is similar in concept to the established discipline of endurance racing, but without the help of a relief driver, and the driver withstanding the very different physical demands of an IndyCar, which was historically run with an open cockpit, but since 2020 has been run with a semi-enclosed cockpit with the introduction of the aeroscreen, and a stock car, in which the driver is enclosed.
Five drivers have attempted the feat, starting with John Andretti on May 29, 1994. In 2001, Tony Stewart became the first and only driver to date to complete all 1,100 miles of both races in the same day. Robby Gordon has tried five times, Stewart and Kyle Larson twice, and Kurt Busch once. No driver has won either race while attempting the feat. Stewart's 2001 effort stands as the best combined result: sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte. Larson made the most recent attempt, in 2025: he finished twenty-seventh at rain-delayed Indianapolis and thirty-seventh at the Coca Cola 600, both of which he failed to finish.
Some drivers in the 1960s and 1970s, included Donnie Allison, attempted a "cross-over": running both events when they were scheduled on consecutive days.

Logistics

The Indianapolis 500 is part of the NTT IndyCar Series, and the Coca-Cola 600 is part of the NASCAR Cup Series. Both races are held, weather permitting, on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is traditionally scheduled in the afternoon, while the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is held as a night race. Since the events are not scheduled to overlap, this allows a driver a small window to travel between venues.
Such an accomplishment can be grueling and physically exhausting. It calls for a driver to race for over seven hours in two entirely different disciplines of racing cars. Along with a 430-mile airplane flight and severe time constraints, the driver has time for only a brief rest aboard the aircraft where they normally take on IV fluids, and are checked out by a physician.
If rain delays one of the races, particularly Indianapolis, it can complicate or prevent the attempt.
Through 2020, NASCAR rules required drivers to attend the pre-race drivers' meeting, generally held about two hours before the race, under penalty of starting from the last position on the grid. Since "Double Duty" attempts start in Indianapolis, drivers attempting the feat have all been required to start at the back of the grid for the Coca-Cola 600. Officials long resisted attempts over the years to lobby for changes, including garage-area petitions, and use of a video-conference device. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR has replaced in-person drivers' meetings with a briefing e-mailed to drivers the day or two before the race and is now willing to excuse drivers from the meeting which is largely ceremonial along with driver introductions, allowing the driver to retain their 600 starting position.

Month of May events

When a driver attempts "Double Duty", their schedule is not just limited to race day. Additional flights back-and-forth between the venues are required in the two weeks leading up to the races to participate in practice and qualifying for the respective events. Time trials for the Indy 500 are held on Saturday and Sunday one week before the race. This can create conflicts with the NASCAR All-Star Race. Depending on which events are prioritized, at Indianapolis drivers may have to sacrifice Fast Friday track time, additional attempts on Day 1 of qualifying, or participation on Day 2 of qualifying. For the All-Star Race, currently held at North Wilkesboro, drivers may have to sacrifice practice, qualifying, and/or heat race participation forcing them to start at the rear of the field.
Additionally, during race weekend, historically practice and qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 have taken place on Thursday before the race, with Carb Day at Indianapolis on Friday, and "Happy Hour" practice at Charlotte on Saturday before race day on Sunday leading to more travel. Presently NASCAR has reduced the Cup Series to 2-day shows, meaning practice & qualifying at Charlotte only takes place on Saturday relieving some, but not all travel burdens.

Itinerary

A driver attempting the "Double Duty" has an extremely busy and tight schedule, particularly for race day. The morning begins in Indianapolis, and at the conclusion of the Indy 500, he immediately travels from the Speedway to a nearby airport – Eagle Creek, Indianapolis International, or another in the vicinity. The flight from Indianapolis to Concord Regional Airport aboard a private jet takes about 55 minutes. From there, the driver will board a helicopter to Charlotte Motor Speedway and land in the infield. Upon arriving at the Coca-Cola 600, the driver is escorted to his car.
The schedule and the logistics are planned well in advance, and even the slightest deviation can cause significant delay and force the driver to miss the second race. Weather can cause unexpected delay, and even force the effort to be aborted. Due to the complex nature of the scheduling, it is standard practice for the driver's respective teams to have back-up relief drivers standing by at both events, in case the schedule is compromised.
Depending upon which of the two events is considered the top priority, a "drop dead" departure time may be assigned at Indy. For 2025, this was 4:07 p.m. Eastern Time, with a "wheels up" 23 minutes later at 4:30 p.m. According to NASCAR rules, the driver who starts the race in the car receives full championship points for that entry. If the driver is a full-time competitor on the Cup Series circuit, the team may require the driver to leave Indy before that race is over in order to arrive at Charlotte on time and receive full points. Conversely, if the Indy 500 is the top priority, and that race is running long, the driver may choose to forgo or delay the trip to Charlotte, and assign the back-up driver to start the 600 instead.
NASCAR awards prize money directly to teams based on a complicated charter system regardless of driver. Formerly, if multiple drivers drove a single car at Indy, prize money was split based on the distance each driver completed, but at present driver changes are not allowed, meaning the car would be immediately retired if a driver left.
In 2001, Tony Stewart's "Double Duty" effort had the following published itinerary:
  • 9:25 a.m. EST : Stewart at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
  • 9:50 a.m. EST : Stewart changes into his fire suit. Driver Richie Hearn standing by to drive relief if necessary.
  • 10:15 a.m. EST : Driver introductions at the Indy 500.
  • 11:00 a.m. EST : Start of Indianapolis 500.
  • 2:30 p.m. EST : Indianapolis 500 completed, Stewart finishes 6th.
  • 2:35 p.m. EST : Stewart rides a golf cart from pit area to the infield care center.
  • 2:45 p.m. EST : Stewart boards a helicopter to Signature/Combs Flight Center at Indianapolis International Airport.
  • 3:08 p.m. EST : Stewart leaves for Concord Regional Airport on a Citation Ten private jet. Stewart is administered two liters of IV fluids.
  • 5:03 p.m. EDT: Plane lands at Concord Regional Airport.
  • 5:10 p.m. EDT: Stewart changes clothes and boards helicopter to travel to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
  • 5:20 p.m. EDT: The helicopter lands in the Charlotte Motor Speedway infield, in front of the start/finish line. Stewart waves to fans and climbs into his car.
  • 5:37 p.m. EDT: Starting command for Coca-Cola 600 given, Stewart's car is moved to 43rd starting position as a penalty for missing the pre-race drivers' meeting.
  • 5:45 p.m. EDT: Start of the Coca-Cola 600.
  • 10:00 p.m. EDT: Coca-Cola 600 completed, Stewart finishes 3rd.

    "Cross-over" history (1960–1993)

The Indianapolis 500 debuted in 1911, and from its onset, was scheduled in conjunction with Memorial Day. In 1960, Charlotte Motor Speedway was completed, and the inaugural World 600 was scheduled for Memorial Day weekend as well. However, for 1960, it was postponed until June 19 in order to ready the facility.
Starting in 1961, both Indy and Charlotte were scheduled around Memorial Day. Through the 1960s, the Indy 500 was normally scheduled for Memorial Day proper regardless of the day of the week. When May 30 fell on a Sunday, the Indy 500 was moved to Monday May 31. At Charlotte, the World 600 was to be scheduled for the Sunday closest to Memorial Day. Thus for more than a decade, the two races were held on different days of the week. This prompted a handful of NASCAR regulars to attempt to race in the Indy 500. On a few occasions, drivers were able to "cross-over" and compete in both events, or skip the race at Charlotte in favor of Indy.
The NASCAR points system utilized at the time, as well as the structure of the schedule itself, differed substantially from modern times. The system was much more forgiving of drivers who missed a single race, which is why some drivers chose to skip Charlotte altogether.
In 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect, and began to alter the respective schedules for the races. Starting in 1974, the Indy 500 was permanently moved to the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Thus from 1974 to 1992, the races were scheduled for the same day, and at roughly the same starting time. Therefore, drivers were not able to compete in both events. Furthermore, in 1975, the NASCAR points system was overhauled, and became much more unforgiving to drivers missing individual races. Very few NASCAR regulars would choose to skip Charlotte, which was emerging as one of the crown jewels on the Winston Cup calendar.
Starting in 1985, the World 600 secured the sponsorship of The Coca-Cola Company, and henceforth became known as the Coca-Cola 600.