The Indianapolis 500 begins at noon ET on May 29. The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled about 6 p.m. ET. That means a driver would have about two hours to from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to his car at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The hard part? Make left turns for 1,100 miles in the heat of competition.
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Busch did the double in 2014. He started 12th as a rookie, gained experience and confidence as the race went on and finished sixth as the race’s rookie of the year.
At Charlotte, his bid to run the full double ended when his car’s engine failed after 217 laps.
Doing the double would have been enticing since this is the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. But Busch is having a strong Sprint Cup season and didn’t want to put it in jeopardy.
Busch announced his decision on his website.
In 2014, Busch attempted the grueling race challenge that has only been tried by John Andretti, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart.
“My experience with Andretti Autosport and its drivers was so very positive and the way in which the IndyCar fans and media welcomed me, it is undoubtedly one of the highlights of my career both personally and professionally. Fortunately, Michael and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have left the door open for a future run, and perhaps one day I will take them up on that, it just won’t be this year.”
The door remains open for Busch in the future, according to the Andretti family.
Busch isn’t one to shy from a challenge.
