CONCORD, N.C.— Guess who’s doing the Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 double this year?
No, it’s not Kurt Busch, who accomplished the feat in 2014.
No, it’s not Danica Patrick, who has raced in both events, but never on the same day.
In fact, the person doing the famed double this year isn’t a driver. It’s Performance Racing Network anchor Doug Rice, who will broadcast both races with logistical support from Shell Oil Company, which has vested sponsorship interests in both the IndyCar and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Rice will cover the Indy 500 from pit road for Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network before returning to Charlotte to call the Coca-Cola 600 from the PRN booth.
Though Rice is looking forward to the challenge, driver Joey Logano, who has Shell/Pennzoil as primary sponsor on his No. 22 Team Penske Ford, is more single-minded in his approach racing on May 24.
“It’s never really crossed my mind,” Logano said, when asked whether he had designs on doing the double. “For me, I’ve got my hands full trying to win the Coca-Cola 600. I’ve yet to win one race, so it wouldn’t really make sense for me to try to win two.
“For me, NASCAR is my focus. It’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole life since I was little, and it’s an amazing opportunity here. I feel like, for me, I owe it to my team to put in 100 percent in trying to win a championship, trying to win one of the biggest races of the year this upcoming weekend – so, for me, I’m focused on one thing, and that’s just winning a race here.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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