Though it ended with three crashes in two races, and five total crashes including practice, Kyle Larson made history in 2025 in a way he was unable to in 2024 by competing in both IndyCar's Indy 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day.
His Memorial Day Double attempt fell incomplete a year and a half ago, as rain delayed the Indy 500, and by the time he showed up at Charlotte, the Coca-Cola 600 had been paused, and ultimately ended, due to rain. This year, he officially became the fifth driver to run both races on the same day and the first since former NASCAR teammate Kurt Busch in 2014.
Larson's deal to run the Indy 500 with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports, his Cup Series team, was a two-year deal which included 2024 and 2025, and it was signed in January 2023.
Now Larson is without a deal for 2026, the fourth McLaren seat has officially gone to 2012 IndyCar champion and 2014 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, and there are questions about whether or not another Double attempt is on the cards for Larson.
Where might Larson end up if he returns? Here are five possible destinations.
5 possible Kyle Larson landing spots for 2026
Arrow McLaren
Both of Kyle Larson's Indy 500 attempts have come with Arrow McLaren, and considering the fact that they remain one of the fastest teams in the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing", it would make sense for a third Indy 500 attempt to come behind the wheel of the same No. 17 Chevrolet.
It's hard to see a scenario where they stop fielding a fourth Indy 500-only entry in the coming years, so the real question is whether or not they would consider bringing Larson back after any amount of time. For what it's worth, Larson was already technically their second-longest tenured driver in 2025.
Hendrick Motorsports
Sure, McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports both technically joined forces to field Larson's No. 17 Chevrolet. But there has been speculation since his previous deal was announced in early 2023 that Rick Hendrick's team may seek a more permanent presence at the Speedway on the open-wheel side of things, and lest we forget that Jeff Gordon is an Indiana guy.
Given the fact that McLaren got themselves into IndyCar as their own team after forming Indy 500 partnerships with existing teams in 2017 and 2019 first, perhaps Hendrick can follow a similar path. And after Prema Racing took pole in their first ever oval race, perhaps Hendrick Motorsports would already be ahead of the curve.
A.J. Foyt Enterprises
Tony Stewart has been one of Kyle Larson's biggest fans, and he is still the only driver to run all 1,100 miles of the Double. Two years after there were rumors about him buying A.J. Foyt Enterprises, he was a personal guest of A.J. Foyt and the team at the race, and now he is involved with the Indy 500 on Fox broadcast.
It's been a while since Foyt fielded three cars, but having been competitive again in recent years, perhaps they can add one for the driver who is perhaps most comparable to Stewart – and maybe even Foyt himself – across all racing disciplines at the moment.
Juncos Hollinger Racing
Juncos Hollinger Racing is sort of a dark horse possibility. They have never run three cars in the Indy 500, but they have taken significant steps forward at Indianapolis in recent years, and Conor Daly was a legitimate threat to win the race in 2025 before late tire degradation issues. They are a lot more competitive than people give them credit for, and Larson may need a change of scenery after his first two attempts.
Nowhere
Larson's 2025 Memorial Day Double attempt was nothing shy of a disaster, and it was certainly a humbling experience to say the least. He crashed out of both races, becoming the first driver to ever do so on the same day, and completed fewer total miles than more than half of the drivers who only ran the Coca-Cola 600.
While he has said he would like to run the Indy 500 again, he has also publicly admitted that he questions if it's worth it. Given the fact that his two-year deal with McLaren came into being more than a year before his first start, the fact that he is currently without a deal suggests he won't be back in the near future – not just for 2026, but even for 2027.
The 110th running of the Indy 500 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 24, 2026, with qualifying set to take place the weekend prior on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17.