Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Kyle Busch might have some NASCAR company for an Indianapolis 500 run

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 24: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Toyota, kisses the bricks after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 24, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)

Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS – If Kyle Busch were to attempt the Indianapolis 500-Coca-Cola 600 doubleheader, it seems he would have some esteemed company from his NASCAR team.

“I would like to do the crew chief ‘Double,’ ” Adam Stevens, Busch’s crew chief, told NBC Sports after the No. 18 Toyota won Sunday at the Brickyard. “Is there such a thing? That’s great. If he wants to do that, I’m all for it.”

Could Busch win the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an Indy car?

“Absolutely,” Stevens said. “If it has a steering wheel, he can win.”

Busch’s second consecutive victory at the Brickyard reignited speculation that he might attempt to run the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the same day.

“The Double,” as it’s known in racing circles, has been done by John Andretti, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon. The most recent driver to attempt the doubleheader was Busch’s older brother, Kurt, who finished sixth at Indy and 40th at Charlotte (engine failure) in 2014.

Kyle Busch hinted at the Indy 500 in March, telling a fan on Twitter that he had aimed to consider the prospect after winning the Sprint Cup title.

The defending series champion said Sunday that “some people have expressed interest,” but he seemed mixed on its chances.

“It’s on my radar,” Busch told NBC Sports. “I’m just not sure how to get it all accomplished and get it all done with the focus and everything being here in the Sprint Cup Series and trying to go race for a championship each year.

“Obviously it’s in the middle of May. It’s right at the beginning part of our season, so it’s hard to do, and you have to have a lot of focus and effort in order to do it right. I saw what Kurt did and his opportunity when he did it. He did a fine job. I’d like nothing more than to do it right if I could and have the opportunity to go race for a win.”

NASCAR drivers Kyle Larson and Kasey Kahne also have expressed interest in running the Indy 500, and Brad Keselowski made laps in an Indy car for Team Penske last month at Road America.

Team owner Roger Penske told NBC Sports after Keselowski’s July 2 win at Daytona that he had been approached by a couple of Sprint Cup drivers about running “The Double.”

Asked if he could run the Indy 500 while still racing in NASCAR, Busch didn’t rule it out Sunday.

“I’d certainly look at it if the opportunities presented themselves in the right order,” he said.

The biggest hurdle to Busch running the Indy 500 in the near future might be his NASCAR team owner. Busch publicly lobbied Joe Gibbs earlier this season, but the man signing his paychecks in Sprint Cup doesn’t seem sold when asked about the possibility after Sunday’s Brickyard win.

“We’re not going to talk about that,” Gibbs told NBC Sports while laughing. “We don’t need that. He’s doing real good right here. That’s where we want it.”