5 drivers who could attempt the next Memorial Day Double

No. 3 - Fernando Alonso

Of course, this is very unlikely to happen in 2025, or even 2026, given the contract extension Fernando Alonso recently signed with Aston Martin in Formula 1. But there's still a possibility that it could happen after his likely Formula 1 retirement following the end of that deal.

After his initial Formula 1 retirement at the end of 2018, Alonso has time and time again referenced his desire to complete motorsport's "Triple Crown". He has already won the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. An Indy 500 victory is all that stands in his way of becoming just the second driver to ever win all three races, joining only Graham Hill.

Once Alonso's Formula 1days are wrapped up, he will likely have a huge desire to try to accomplish this last goal, especially given how close he came to an Indy 500 win in 2017. Aston Martin and Alonso have both expressed interest in working together behind the scenes post-retirement, so they will undoubtedly be fully supportive of one of their brand ambassadors trying to make history in the biggest race in the world.

As for the Coca-Cola 600 side of things, a potential Memorial Day Double attempt from Alonso seems a lot more unlikely at face value. But at the same time, why wouldn't he give it a try? Alonso has already driven a NASCAR Cup car, having done a "ride swap" test day at the Bahrain International Circuit in Jimmie Johnson's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet a few years ago. By all accounts, the Spaniard had a ton of fun, and he did a good job behind the wheel.

We've also seen several former Formula 1 drivers give NASCAR Cup Series racing a try, including Kamui Kobayashi as well as Alonso's former teammates and rivals, Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen. They all enjoyed their experience for the most part. You can't convince anybody that their NASCAR stints haven't come up in any positive conversations with Alonso since then. Would he love to give it a try as well?

Alonso has been known as an ageless wonder for years now. What better way to show that off than to race 600 laps and 1,100 miles across two very different tracks in two vastly different cars on the same day? He could put his already legendary status onto the highest pedestal, unreachable by anybody else.