Double Duty (also referred to as the Indy-Charlotte Double or Memorial Day Double) is an American auto racing term centered around two events held on Memorial Day weekend in most years – the annual Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, and the annual Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. A driver is said to have done "Double Duty" when they compete in both races on the same day.
These two events are regarded as significant events for their respective series, as the Indianapolis 500 is the most prestigious IndyCar race, while the Coca-Cola 600 has for years been considered one of NASCAR's most important races, as it is the longest event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. Both races are scheduled to be run on the same day, barring any postponements, with the Indianapolis 500 run in the early afternoon and the Coca-Cola 600 in the evening. For a driver to pull off the “Double”, they must compete at Indianapolis first, then board an airplane following the race and fly to Charlotte to complete the feat. By tradition, the Indianapolis 500 champion will not compete in the Coca Cola 600.
Double Duty is considered physically demanding and mentally draining, as a driver is required to be in a race car for most of the day, cover over one thousand miles in the course of the attempt, and do so with very little rest, if any at all. It is similar in concept to the established discipline of endurance racing, but without the help of a relief driver, and the driver withstanding the very different physical demands of an IndyCar, which is run with an open cockpit, and a stock car, in which the driver is enclosed.
John Andretti was the first driver to attempt the feat, on May 29, 1994. In 2001, Tony Stewart became the first and only driver to date to successfully complete all 1,100 miles of both races in the same day. Four drivers (Andretti, Robby Gordon on five occasions, Stewart twice, and Kurt Busch) have attempted. Of these, Stewart's 2001 effort stands as the best combined result, finishing sixth at Indianapolis and third at Charlotte. Busch made the most recent attempt in 2014, finishing sixth at Indianapolis (where he was the fastest rookie) but dropping out of the Coca-Cola 600 with a blown engine after completing 906 total miles.
Some drivers in the 1960s and 1970s attempted "crossovers," or running both events when they were scheduled on consecutive days, with Donnie Allison competing in both events in the same year.
Logistics
The Indianapolis 500 is part of the NTT IndyCar Series, and the Coca-Cola 600 is part of the NASCAR Cup Series. Both races are held, weather permitting, on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is traditionally scheduled in the afternoon, while the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is held as a night race. Since the events are not scheduled to overlap, this allows a driver a small window to travel between venues.
Such an accomplishment can be grueling and physically exhausting. It calls for a driver to race for over seven hours in two entirely different disciplines of racing cars. Along with a 430-mile airplane flight and severe time constraints, the driver has time for only a brief rest aboard the aircraft where they normally take on IV fluids, and are checked out by a physician.
Weather plays a significant factor in the logistics of "Double Duty". If weather cooperates and there is no rain at either venue, delays are usually minimal. However, if rain delays one of the races (particularly Indianapolis), it can significantly disrupt or completely cancel the opportunity for the attempt.
Thru 2020, according to NASCAR rules all drivers were required, without exception, to attend in person the pre-race drivers' meeting or suffer a grid penalty. If a driver misses the meeting for any reason, they were forced to start from last position on the grid. The meeting normally took place approximately two hours before the start of the race (Coca-Cola 600), and under the circumstances of "Double Duty", the driver had little or no opportunity to attend in-person. Despite attempts over the years to lobby officials, including garage area petitions, and use of a video-conference device, drivers attempting "Double Duty" have all been required to start at the back of the grid for the Coca-Cola 600. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR has discontinued in-person drivers' meetings and replaced them with a drivers' briefing e-mailed to drivers the day or two before the race. However to date no driver has attempted "Double Duty" since this change.