It remains one of motor racing’s toughest challenges; 1,100 miles of racing across two very different disciplines on the same day, but since it was first attempted in 1994 Double Duty has become entwined in Indycar racing lore, and made heroes out of those five drivers who have taken on it’s challenge.

The origins of Double Duty can be traced back to 1961, when Nascar pioneer Bill France Sr. introduced the World 600 as the showpiece event for the newly constructed Charlotte Motor Speedway. Originally the World 600 was scheduled on the Sunday prior to Memorial Day, whilst Indy remained in it’s traditional memorial day slot regardless of the day of the week that the day fell upon, this allowed a number of drivers from both disciplines to take part in both events, and led to a number of Nascar’s best and finest to make one of appearances in the prestigious 500 mile event (something we will look at in more detail on a later date). With the introduction of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act however the 500 was moved permanently to the Sunday prior to Memorial Day, and in the process directly into conflict with the World 600. With both races sharing roughly the same starting time, and the emergence of the 600 as one of the standout events of the Grand National series, it meant that it became almost impossible for one driver to compete in both prestigious events.

In 1992 however Charlotte Motor Speedway introduced floodlights around the circuit for the first time, allowing Nascar officials to move back the start time for the 600 (now known as the Coca-Cola 600) to incorporate a prime-time finish. The move also moved the race out of conflict with the 500’s start time, meaning that it became technically feasible for one driver to compete at Indianapolis, and then quickly travel to Charlotte to take the field for the Coke 600.

In 1994 John Andretti became the first man to ever attempt the feat of competing in both events on the same day. Andretti had enjoyed a solid career in Indycar racing up until that point, picking up his only win at Surfer’s Paradise in 1991, and had started to dip his feet into Nascar racing with a number of sporadic events during the 1993 season. Despite heavy media pressure, as well as the physically demanding itinerary that came with the challenge Andretti was undaunted, finishing 10th in the 500 before immediately boarding a private to Charlotte to pilot Billy Hagan’s #14 Ford Thunderbird. His day at Charlotte however did not turn out as successful, with Andretti having to pull out of the race with a blown engine on lap 220.

Andretti’s attempt at the double helped to open the floodgates for a number of other drivers to attempt the challenge of double duty. In 1997 Robbie Gordon competed in both events in a highly funded effort organised by Nascar team boss Felix Sabates. It would be the first of five occasions that the Californian would take on the challenge, with his most successful effort in 2002 seeing him fall just one lap short of completing the full 1,100 mile distance. Tony Stewart would twice achieve the feat in 1999 and 2001, with his 2001 effort seeing Stewart leading both races before settling for 6th and 3rd places finishes at Indy and Charlotte respectively, and leading to the former IRL champion becoming the first man to ever complete all 1,100 miles of racing in a single day.

The most recent attempt at Double Duty however came in the form of Kurt Busch in 2014. Unlike his predecessors, Busch had not raced in the Indycar series prior to his double duty effort, with the 500 mile showpiece set to be the Las Vegas native’s first competitive single seater event. Despite this however, Busch was quickly on the pace, qualifying in a credible 10th place despite an accident in practice. After dropping through the field in the race’s early stages, Busch used a combination of high attrition and pit strategy to slowly move through the pack, finishing in sixth place and earning rookie of the year honours in the process. Busch’s day at Charlotte however would prove less fruitful, failing to finish the 600 due to a mid-race engine failure.

Busch’s performance at Indy helped to put the concept of Double Duty back on everyone’s radar, and with three months to go until this year’s 500 speculation remains ripe over whether some of Nascar’s best will take on the challenge for Indy’s 100th running.

In today’s video an episode of the NBC Sports series “36 Hours” focusing on Kurt Busch’s double duty attempt:

In tomorrow’s update Indycar racing goes international, thanks in part to the most high profile rookie ever to grace the speedway.