This Memorial Day Weekend, Kyle Larson will attempt Double Duty in the Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600. James Hinchcliffe expects him to do well. In fact, Hinchcliffe compared Larson to another NASCAR star who made an attempt at the double.Hinchcliffe, an accomplished driver in IndyCar in his own right with six career wins, was a teammate at Andretti Autosport with Kurt Busch for 2014 for the Indy 500. There, he saw Busch prep over the course of a month for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
It’s clear Pato O’Ward ranks among the top drivers in the series but there are doubts about Alexander Rossi’s peaks and even more concerns over whether Kirkwood’ can perform at this end of the grid after two years at Coyne.
“O’Ward is the one lifting this team above others but it’s still one of the stronger three-car line-ups,” says Mitchell Malm.Grosjean and Devlin DeFrancesco out, down to three cars and Marcus Ericsson in. It ensures the team has an Indianapolis 500 winner and someone with more experience and a more consistent approach in Ericsson than his young, rapid team-mates.Many feel focusing on three cars, and adding Ericsson, can turn around this team’s fortunes. That’s not a driver rankings question per se, so what do our writers make of this line-up?
Imperfect but a really exciting one,” says Beer, “though after many years of not achieving what his ability actually merits, you have to wonder if Herta is in the right environment. He and Kirkwood are such talents, though, and Ericsson has been a revelation in IndyCar.”
Smith reckons Herta is “bruised” after an “awful” 2023, so “he will need some big early performances”.
There’s no doubt over Herta and Kirkwood’s ability here, a reason why Andretti got a nod for the best line-up from Beer, but questions remain over Ericsson’s peak pace and his team-mates’ consistency over a season.
A lot will depend on if these drivers are given the equipment to compete to the level they are capable of, so they are able to prove their mettle.
