![]() I was just glad I didn’t have to sit there and make a tough decision. It didn’t matter if I was leading by five laps, at a set time we had to leave, whether I was leading the Indy 500 or not. ![]() “The hard part was knowing that we had a hard time to leave that was non-negotiable. “The one part of it that was pretty traumatic was the point where we actually were in the lead of the race at Indy and the rain delay came and then I got a cramp in my leg at the same time during the red flag,” Stewart said. Had the rain continued, Stewart was committed to leaving Indy and heading to Charlotte-even if he had been leading the 500! As it turned out, the rain stopped (with Stewart in the lead), the 500 resumed and he was able to finish sixth before hopping a plane to Charlotte. As is common in Indianapolis at the end of May, rain briefly stopped action in the 2001 500. There was some angst, however, in Stewart’s effort. ![]() Tony Stewart gets ready for final practice on Saturday in Charlotte before heading back to Indianapolis for the 500 the next day. And even when you do that, it still feels like it’s not stopped moving yet.” When you’re done with the 600, after running Indy and the flight and helicopter rides and police escorts and all that during the day, you’re very, very content to lay your head on a pillow. “(Having) completed all 1,100 miles of Double Duty is something I’m really proud of,” Stewart said. To date, only one driver has done that: Tony Stewart, who completed both races on May 27, 2001, finishing sixth at Indy (in what would also be the final Ind圜ar race of his career) for Chip Ganassi Racing and third at Charlotte for Joe Gibbs Racing. While there potentially may be more drivers who will one day attempt to do “The Double” -running the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day-it’s a big ask that they be able to run all 1,100 combined miles. He did an outstanding job, finishing sixth at Indy, but a mid-race engine failure at Charlotte ended his day prematurely.
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