Kurt Busch Falls Short of "The Double"

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Kurt Busch fell short of completing racing’s equivalent of a double-header on Sunday.

Busch was trying to complete the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, known as “the double” in the racing world.

Busch lands at Charlotte (Photo courtesy Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Busch ran well in the Indianapolis 500, quietly running towards a sixth-place finish in the first half of the day.

Following the IndyCar race, Busch flew to Charlotte for the NASCAR event Sunday night.  Because he was in Indianapolis, he missed the NASCAR driver’s meeting and was forced to start in the rear of the field.  

He quickly moved his way up through the field, but the race went south 274 laps into the 400-lap race.  Busch’s engine expired, ending his chances at completing all 1,100 miles on Sunday.

Busch went on to finish 40th in the Coke 600, but he said he didn’t want that to get in the way of what he accomplished in Indianapolis.  

“The engine let go. Those things happen in motorsports,” Busch said in the garage following his DNF.  “It was a good battle, though.  I was hoping to do 1,100 miles today.  I can’t let what happened here dampen the mood on what happened in Indianapolis.”

Busch became the fourth driver to start both Memorial Day races, and was the first to do it since Robby Gordon in 2004.  Tony Stewart remains the only driver to finish both races in one day.  He completed all 1,100 miles in 2001.