Nascar Race Today

For the first time since 2004, a driver will try the single-day feat of racing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.

Kurt Busch hopes to drive an IndyCar for Andretti Autosport at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the afternoon of May 25, then get behind the wheel of his regular No. 41 stock car for Stewart-Haas Racing that night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

"The last couple years have been a good chance for me to reflect on what I've done in motorsports, and also a chance to challenge myself to do something different," said Busch, who has 24 Sprint Cup victories, including the 2010 Coca-Cola 600, and claimed the Nascar season championship in 2004.

Busch, 35, would be the fourth driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500, the most important race on the IndyCar calendar, and the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the Nascar schedule, on the same day.

John Andretti, the cousin of Andretti Autosport's owner, Michael Andretti, was the first to qualify for both races, in 1994. He was 10th at the Indy 500 but did not complete the second race because of engine problems.

Tony Stewart, who owns Busch's Nascar team, has been the most successful at the Memorial Day weekend double, doing it in 1999 and 2001. In 1999, Stewart finished ninth at Indy and fourth in the Nascar race, completing 1,090 of the 1,100 miles. Two years later, he became the only driver to finish all 1,100 miles, finishing sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte.

Robby Gordon attempted the double five times, most recently in 2004, but completed both races only once, in 2002.

The Indy 500 begins at noon Eastern, and the Coca-Cola 600 starts at 6 p.m., nearly 600 miles away. Busch will have to make frequent trips between the two cities in May to practice and qualify for the races.

Unlike the previous drivers who did a double, all of whom were full-fledged IndyCar racers at one time, Busch has little experience in open-wheel racing. ("What do I know about an IndyCar?" he said. "Not much.") He has never raced in an IndyCar event, but he tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and passed the orientation program there last year.

"It felt like I was driving a feather that stuck like glue," Busch said, describing the difference between his 3,500-pound stock car and an IndyCar.

For such a difficult transition, it helps that Busch is working with Andretti's team, which has won two Indy 500s and four IndyCar championships.

Beyond the need to adjust to an open-wheel car, the double also requires about seven hours of racing, putting a tremendous demand on the body. Busch said he had hired a martial arts instructor to do boot-camp style physical training and focus drills for the mental side. He added that he was considering hiring a nutritionist.

It is a grueling journey that fans will be able to follow closely. This is the first attempt at the motorsports double that can take full advantage of social media.

Busch is active on Twitter, and a new website, Kurtbuschdouble.com, will allow fans to monitor his workouts and his physical condition and to track his travel back and forth "like following Santa Claus on Christmas Eve."