Trump's Rumored Trip To NASCAR Race At Charlotte Could Wreak Havoc
You want drama? Throw Donald Trump, Kyle Larson, NASCAR, the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in a pot, mix it up with some cloudy weather and some shaky history, and stir it all up this Memorial Day weekend.
That's right, baby! The potential content staring us in our faces this motorsports weekend – the biggest on the calendar – could deliver us a DOOZY of a Sunday afternoon.
Former (future?) president Donald Trump is reportedly attending the Coke 600 on Sunday evening in Charlotte. Track officials have confirmed his plans to attend in some capacity to multiple outlets, but, beyond that, we don't know much else.
What time? Why? When? How? We don't know. All we know as of Wednesday afternoon is this: Trump is expected to be at the longest race of the NASCAR season Sunday evening, the weather in Indianapolis that afternoon looks iffy at best, Kyle Larson could be in trouble, and every single driver needs to have their head on a SWIVEL.
How does it all fit together? Well …
What do Kyle Larson and Donald Trump have to do with NASCAR and the Indy 500?
Let's start with the Kyle Larson subplot before we get into the morbid stuff (you'll see).
Larson is running The Double on Sunday, meaning he's set to race in the Indy 500 that afternoon, and then BOOK IT to Charlotte for the 6 p.m. NASCAR green flag. This isn't super unusual because it's been done before – most recently by Kurt Busch in 2014 – but it's a tight fit.
The Indy 500 is set to go green at 12:45. The Coca-Cola 600 goes green around 6. Larson, who is starting fifth at Indy, will run the 500 and then catch a chartered flight to Charlotte. It should be all ham and eggs …
… unless the Indy 500 is delayed because of weather, which is a possibility. Right now, there's a 60% chance of rain Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. Any delay – before or during – will make that already tight window even smaller. Not great!
Mix in the fact that Trump will now reportedly be in town – which undoubtedly will mean extra security measures, both at the track and in the air – and Larson could run into some serious turbulence during that trip.
(See what I did there?!)
Donald Trump has a history with NASCAR
And for those who think I'm being dramatic about the security measures, I was at the 2020 Daytona 500 when then-president Donald Trump gave the command. It was insane. It took HOURS to get into the track. Secret Service everywhere. Airspace shut down.
What if Larson's supposed to fly in while Trump's Boeing (he should really switch to Airbus at this point) is landing? Probably won't be an issue … right?
Now, speaking of that 2020 Daytona 500 … that was the race where Ryan Newman literally took a car to the face and nearly died. He walked away from the hospital a few days later, but it's still the closest NASCAR's come to a Dale Earnhardt situation since 2001.
Oh yeah! That 2001 Daytona 500? Donald Trump was there that day, too. Not the best track record. The good news, however? Trump was also at the Dover race in 1999, and that was a pretty tame 400 laps.
Mark Martin won to break a 25-race drought, for those who care. Knowing where Mark stands on the political spectrum, it's safe to assume he was PUMPED Trump was in attendance that day. That's another story for another time, though.
Anyway, all that to say, Donald Trump should be at Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, and that will almost assuredly lead to some A+ Memorial Day content. I'm here for it.
Start those engines, fellas!