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05/25 12:28 CDT The Indianapolis 500 is starting, but after a rain delay, can Larson complete 'the double?' The Indianapolis 500 is starting, but after a rain delay, can Larson complete 'the double?' By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) --- Roger Penske has delivered the command for drivers to start their engines at the Indianapolis 500 after a 42-minute delay for rain --- a pause that has Kyle Larson's attempt to complete "the double" and race 1,100-miles in one day in jeopardy. The NASCAR star must leave Indianapolis Motor Speedway by 4 p.m. to make it to Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, where the Coca-Cola 600 is his priority. Only one driver has ever completed all 1,100 miles --- Tony Stewart in 2001. Larson's bid failed last year because a rain delay in Indianapolis made him miss the Coca-Cola 600. Larson could be seen checking his watch from inside his car as he waited for Penske's command. He's starting second in Charlotte and 19th in the Indy 500. Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan was the standby driver for Larson in case Larson could not start the race. Kanaan is not eligible to replace Larson once he starts the race. Meanwhile, a swarm of people poured through the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gates as soon as it opened. Some were shirtless, some wore American flag overalls, others checkered flag mini-skirts. As they entered the main tunnel nearly five hours before the race, a large group began a thunderous "Let's Go Pacers!" chant; The Indiana Pacers host Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks a few hours after the 109th running of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." The grandstands are sold out for the first time since 2016 and IndyCar expects 350,000 people will be on IMS property for Sunday's race. One tunnel at the speedway had to be closed to motorized vehicles four hours before the race to handle the pedestrian volume. Pato O'Ward, a two-time Indy 500 runner-up, and two-time reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou are the co-favorites, listed at +500 by BetMGM. O'Ward starts third and would be the first Mexican winner; Palou, winner of four of the first five races this season, would be the first Spanish winner should he earn his first career victory on an oval track. Robert Shwartzman, a dual national of Israel and Russia, will be the first rookie to lead the field to green since 1983 in the Indianapolis 500 debut for Prema Racing. The Italian team is dominant in Europe but new this season to IndyCar, and Shwartzman has never raced on an oval. The 25-year-old drives under the Israel flag and is the first Israeli in the field. All eyes will be on Team Penske drivers Josef Newgarden and Will Power, who will start 32nd and 33rd following inspection failures that dropped them to the back of the field. Newgarden is the two-time defending race winner and trying to become the first in history to win three-straight Indy 500s. No driver has ever won from starting on the last row. Rivals have already declared the Penskes the fastest cars in the field and have said they look forward to watching them pick their way through traffic. ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing