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IndyCar and NASCAR: A brief history of the Memorial Day Double

By Asher Fair

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 5: Indy Car driver Kurt Busch practices on track during a rookie orientation for the May 25 Indianapolis 500 mile race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 5, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 5: Indy Car driver Kurt Busch practices on track during a rookie orientation for the May 25 Indianapolis 500 mile race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 5, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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While no drivers are set to compete in the Memorial Day Double this year, take a look back at the brief history of the IndyCar and NASCAR drivers who have done so.

No drivers are up to the task of becoming just the fifth driver in IndyCar and NASCAR Cup Series history to attempt the Memorial Day Double on Sunday, May 26 by competing in the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and then flying down to Charlotte Motor Speedway to compete in the Coca-Cola 600.

That said, take a look back at the brief history of the very few attempts that have been made by only a handful of drivers to pull off this historic feat at the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana and the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) high-banked Charlotte Motor Speedway oval in Concord, North Carolina.

Only four drivers have competed in both races of the Memorial Day Double on the same day. These four drivers are John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch. They have combined to do so nine times.

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Andretti became the first driver to attempt the Memorial Day Double when he did so in 1994. Gordon, meanwhile, attempted it five times throughout his career while Stewart attempted it twice. Busch is the most recent driver to attempt this historic feat, as he attempted it for the first time just five years ago in 2014.

Davy Jones is the only driver who attempted to compete in both races of the Memorial Day Double on the same day but failed to do so. He failed to become the second driver to do so back in 1995 when he finished in 23rd place in the Indy 500 but failed to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600.

Three of the four drivers who have attempted the Memorial Day Double have completed all 200 laps of the Indy 500 during their attempts. Gordon did so in 2000 and 2002 while Stewart did so in 2001 and Busch did so in 2014. However, only one of these four drivers has completed all 400 laps of the Coca-Cola 600 during his attempts, and he did so twice. Stewart did so in both of his attempts in 1999 and 2001.

Stewart is the only driver to complete all 600 laps and all 1,100 miles of the Memorial Day Double. He did so in 2001 with a sixth place finish in the Indy 500 and a third place finish in the Coca-Cola 600.

Stewart’s sixth place finish in the 2001 Indy 500 is tied for the best Indy 500 finish among the Indy 500 finishes of drivers during their Memorial Day Double attempts, as Busch finished the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” in sixth back in 2014.

In addition, Stewart’s third place finish in the 2001 Coca-Cola 600 is the best Coca-Cola 600 finish among the Coca-Cola 600 finishes of drivers during their Memorial Day Double attempts. His fourth place finish in the 1999 Coca-Cola 600 is the only other top 15 finish among the finishes of these drivers during their attempts as well. Gordon’s 16th place finish in the 2002 Coca-Cola 600 is the next highest finish among these finishes.

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Who will be the next driver or drivers to attempt the Memorial Day Double, and when will the Memorial Day Double be attempted next?