Here at Lawrence, being a student-athlete can be very time consuming. Student-athletes not only balance academics, athletics, a social life and oftentimes, work, but also excel in these areas. Although many of the sports teams only compete during one season, offseason practices and weightlifting still take up time throughout the rest of the year. Some student-athletes even compete in two sports. This means more practices, more games and matches, more travelling to nowhere-Iowa and less time for everything else in that student’s life. The one saving grace is that the two sports these student-athletes compete in take place during different sports seasons, which at least allows each person to be fully focused on their respective sport before transitioning to focus on their other sport. Although difficult, it is manageable. But what if these athletes had to compete in both sports during the same season? What about on the same day? And what if these sports were played at the professional level instead of the Division III level? Is it manageable for professional athletes whose only focus is their sport?
On May 25, 2025, the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place. The Indy 500, also known as the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, is the pinnacle of the IndyCar season. 33 drivers will race at speeds of 215+ miles per hour for two hundred 2.5 mile-long laps (hence the 500). This year’s crowd totaled 350,000, more than five times the number of people who attended this year’s Super Bowl. Winning here, regardless of how the rest of the IndyCar season goes, will not only make a driver’s season successful, but will cement their career as a successful one. However, some drivers want more, wanting to not just win the Indy 500, but win the Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR version of the Indy 500, on the same day. This year, full-time NASCAR driver Kyle Larson attempted to complete what is deemed “the double,” competing in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Should he have been allowed to? To compete in two different sports on the same day taking place just a couple hours apart? Honestly, no.
Now, maybe it doesn’t seem unreasonable for a driver to run an IndyCar and NASCAR race on the same day. After all, it’s two motor races, what’s the difference? The most noticable difference comes from the aerodynamics of each car. A NASCAR car is a stock car, considered a closed-wheeled car, meaning that the wheels are covered by the main body of the car. The best example of one of these cars is Lightning McQueen from the “Cars” movies. Meanwhile, an IndyCar is an open-wheeled car, meaning the wheels are on the outside of the body of the car. IndyCars are fairly similar in design to a Formula 1 car, the design of Francesco Bernoulli from “Cars 2.” There are several other differences too, including the type of engine used in both cars, rear and front wing design and many more. These differences are what makes the two sports unique and why competing in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 is like competing in two different sports.
So, why shouldn’t it be allowed to “do the double?” It’s unfeasible. This year, Kyle Larson attempted to complete the double, racing all 1,100 miles across both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. The goal was to at least finish each race. Larson did neither. After cursing full-time IndyCar driver Scott McLauglin for crashing on the pace lap on a damp track at this year’s Indy 500, Larson proceeded to crash himself later in the race. However, this did allow him to have enough time to make it to Concord, North Carolina and race in the Coca-Cola 600, which Larson was unable to do when he attempted the double in 2024. Larson proceeded to crash early into the Coca-Cola 600. Now, Larson is not the only driver to attempt the double, however he is one of few. The only others to attempt the feat are John Andretti, Tony Stewart, Robby Gordon and Kurt Busch. Out of these drivers, only Tony Stewart, in 2001, was able to complete every lap in both the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Only one driver, albeit a successful NASCAR driver, was able to complete the double. No driver has been able to win at least one of the races when attempting the double either. Although the idea of a driver competing in, and potentially winning, a race when competing in two of the biggest races of the season in the respective motorsports sounds amazing, it just doesn’t make sense to attempt anymore. Considering the level these drivers are expected to perform at, it makes more sense for them to focus on just one of the two races. Now, could these drivers still compete in both series? Sure, as long as the races occur on different days. It may not seem as impressive if a driver does this, but it would at minimum give a driver a better chance to finish both races, if not win one of the two.
At the professional level, competing in two different sports on the same day isn’t feasible. Although, for the drivers that did attempt to run the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, kudos. Putting in the effort to be able to compete at the professional level for essentially seven hours straight is astonishing.
So, at the professional level, it just doesn’t seem possible to compete at two sports, at least in motorsports. Of course, athletes such as Deion Sanders were able to compete at two sports: baseball and football. However, this ultimately came to end, as much as he would have liked to continue playing both sports professionally. Not many other professional athletes have been able to do it either. As for the collegiate level, as has been seen at Lawrence, it is possible to compete in two sports. Doing so at the same time or the same day? A bit more challenging, but possible, at least compared to the professional level.
Going forward for those wanting to complete the double at the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600, it just doesn’t make sense for the drivers to compete in both. Unless a driver can prove themselves to be one of the best in their respective sport (IndyCar or NASCAR) of all time and have accomplished more than most within that series, then maybe an exception can be made for them to attempt the double. Otherwise, it seems to be time for drivers to take a break from attempting to compete at the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.