NASCAR: 5 drivers who should attempt the Memorial Day Double
By Asher Fair
Kurt Busch
Kurt Busch, 39, is the only active NASCAR Cup Series driver who has actually attempted the Memorial Day Double before, as he drove in both the Indy 500 (pictured above) and the Coca-Cola 600 back in 2014. He drove in the former for Andretti Autosport, and he drove in the latter for Stewart-Haas Racing, his full-time team in the Cup Series.
Busch became the fourth driver to drive in both of these races on the same day, and his Memorial Day Double attempt marked the ninth time that a driver have driven in both races. He finished in sixth in the Indy 500, his first career IndyCar race, after starting in 12th, and he finished in 40th in the Coca-Cola 600 thanks to an engine failure on lap 272 of 400 after starting in 28th.
Busch has not won a Cup Series in over one year, as his most recent win came in the 2017 Daytona 500. However, there is a legitimate case to be made that he is driving on as high of a level as he has driven since he won his Cup Series championship back in the 2004 season.
He sits in sixth place in the championship standings right now as the second highest driver who has not yet won a race this season, and he has racked up two top five finishes and five top 10 finishes through 11 races, with both of those top five finishes, which include a second place finish and a fifth place finish, coming in the last two races.
Given the fact that he is competing on a high level in addition to the fact that he finished in sixth in the Indy 500 in his first attempt in the race back in 2014, there is no reason to believe that he could not or should not attempt the Memorial Day Double once again.