Drivers who try the Indy 500-NASCAR 600 double have had mixed results. Kyle Larson is next

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Only four drivers have attempted one of the most grueling days in motorsports: the 1,100-mile Memorial Day weekend double.

Kyle Larson is trying to become the fifth to race in both the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 on the same day and the 31-year-old Californian believes he can do it.

He qualified fifth for Sunday's 500, which starts at around 12:45 p.m. Eastern. The plan is to complete the showcase in Arrow McLaren's No. 17 car and then be flown to Charlotte, North Carolina, for his more familiar No. 5 Chevrolet for NASCAR's longest race set to start at 6 p.m.

Previous quests have been derailed by weather delays, full rainouts, mechanical problems and late arrivals all marring an inflexibly tight schedule. Only one driver, Tony Stewart, has finished on the lead lap of both races on the same day.

Weather could again pose a major obstacle for Larson, the first driver to make the attempt since Kurt Busch in 2014. The current forecast in Indianapolis calls for strong chance of rain Sunday.

The race has not been rained out since 1997 when it took three days to run the race, ruining Robby Gordon’s first shot at the double. A look at the previous efforts:

Total double attempts: One (1994)

At Indianapolis: Started 10th, finished 10th

At Charlotte: Started ninth, finished 36th

Total laps completed: 416 (196 of 200 at Indy; 220 of 400 at Charlotte)

The skinny: The nephew of racing great Mario Andretti and cousin of former IndyCar driver Michael Andretti added his chapter to the family legacy as the first to attempt what once seemed unfathomable. The term “double” soon became synonymous in both the open-wheel and Cup series, and has continued to resonate even after Andretti's death in January 2020. The soft-spoken Andretti even tossed aside the family's long-standing “feud” between his uncle and four-time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt, teaming up with Foyt on race day. Andretti claimed a top-10 Indy finish in Foyt's No. 33 Ford before traveling to Charlotte, where a faulty crankshaft relegated him to 36th place. Andretti made five more Indy starts from 2007-11 but never tried the double again.

Total double attempts: Five (1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004)

At Indianapolis: Started 12th, fourth, 11th, third and 18th; finished 29th, sixth, eighth, 22nd and 29th

At Charlotte: Started 28th, 42nd, 12th, 38th, 20th; finished 41st, did not start, 16th, 12th, 20th

Total laps completed: 1,926 (669 in five Indy starts, 1,257 in four Charlotte starts)

The skinny: The five attempts and total completed laps are records in double history, though rain wreaked havoc on Gordon's hopes. His first shot was washed out in 1997: He was able to race in the 600, but the 500 was completed the following day so it's not a true same-day double. A rain-delayed start in Indy three years later forced him to miss the start of the Coca-Cola 600, giving PJ Jones the start — and credit for all of the laps completed in Charlotte. Attempt No. 4, in 2003, was derailed when the scheduled 400-lap Coca-Cola was shortened to 276 laps. In 2002, he came within one lap of completing all 1,100 miles. A mechanical problem only 88 laps into the 2004 Indy 500 ended his fifth and final attempt.

Total double attempts: Two (1999, 2001)

At Indianapolis: Started 24th, seventh; finished ninth, sixth

At Charlotte: Started 27th, 12th; finished fourth, third

Total laps completed: 1,196 (396 in two Indy starts, 800 in two Charlotte starts)

The skinny: The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion grew up in Indiana, dreaming of winning the 500. But he only made five career starts in the race, two coming after he left open-wheel racing for the Cup series. He still found success at his adopted home track and on Memorial Day weekend. “Smoke” completed all but four laps combined in the four double races, posting top-10 finishes in each one. In 1999, he became the first driver to complete all 600 laps in one day and still is the only one to achieve that the feat.

Total double attempts: One (2014)

At Indianapolis: Started 12th; finished sixth

At Charlotte: Started 28th; finished 40th

Total laps completed: 471 (200 at Indy, 271 at Charlotte)

The skinny: Busch became the most recent driver on the list when he teamed up with Michael Andretti's IndyCar team a decade ago. The month started relatively well. Busch qualified on the fourth row of the 11-row field and started in the middle of the pack at Charlotte. But after matching the highest 500 finish by a driver pulling double duty, Busch's quest ended with a blown engine in Charlotte. He told reporters the attempt would be a “memory I'll have forever."

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Kyle Larson prepares during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 20, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Kyle Larson, left, talks with former Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 20, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Kyle Larson (5) drives during the NASCAR All-Star auto race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, N.C., Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Kyle Larson, center, talks with Brad Keselowski, right, after arriving for the NASCAR All-Star auto race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, N.C., Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Kyle Larson gives a thumbs-up after arriving for the NASCAR All-Star auto race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, N.C., Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Kyle Larson leaves on a helicopter heading to the NASCAR All-Star race after qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Kyle Larson puts on his helmet during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Kyle Larson waits in his pit box during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 20, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Kyle Larson climbs into his car during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Monday, May 20, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Kyle Larson walks down pit lane before a practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, May 24, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The 27 leaders of the European Union gather in Brussels on Monday evening to take stock of recent European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc’s top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards.

The June 6-9 elections saw the European Parliament shift to the right and dealt major blows to pro-European governing parties in Paris and Berlin. The Franco-German motor that usually propels EU politics along was weakened, and new dynamics could be on show at the informal dinner.

Under the EU’s complicated division of powers, the presidents and prime ministers get to nominate the next head of the bloc's powerful executive branch, the European Commission, which is responsible for drawing up EU policy on everything from climate to the colossal shared budget.

Under the EU's treaties, their choice should take into account the results of the election.

German conservative Ursula von der Leyen looks likely to stay on as president for another five years after a strong showing for her center-right European People’s Party parliamentary group.

In an interview with Germany's Welt TV on Saturday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said “it is clear after the results of the elections that everything indicates that there can be a second term in office for Ursula von der Leyen.” He said he believes the top job nominations could be agreed “quickly."

Von der Leyen, at the helm of the EU since 2019, led a huge drive during the pandemic to secure billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses, set up a historic post-pandemic economic recovery fund and, from 2022, drummed up support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and extended a hand to Kyiv to join the bloc.

But nothing is guaranteed. Von der Leyen's presidential style has at times riled her commission colleagues, and she is deeply unpopular in some corners of the EU Parliament, where she will need the support of 361 of the 720 lawmakers to hold on to her job.

The other big posts up for grabs are that of European Council president, held by Belgian centrist Charles Michel, and EU foreign policy chief, occupied by Josep Borrell of Spain from the center-left. The council president’s job is to broker deals between the 27 member states, while the top diplomat represents the EU on the world stage.

In Brussels, names for the big posts have circulated for months. Portuguese Socialist Prime Minister António Costa is frequently mentioned to become council president. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, well known for her tough line on Russia, has been floated as the bloc’s potential top diplomat.

French President Emmanual Macron said the aim Monday is "to try to have a quick consensus. But perhaps we need to wait until June 27-28,” when the leaders meet again in Brussels for a formal EU summit.

“I don’t want to preempt things," Macron said on Saturday. "These discussions are happening with 27 of us, so we have advanced, several of us have called each other, and I think it’s possible. I think it’s possible in the days to come, or in the week to come.’’

Von der Leyen’s own path to power in 2019 shows that the tussle over EU top jobs can be unpredictable. Then a German defense minister somewhat tainted by scandal in her ministry, von der Leyen was a relative unknown in Brussels when her name was raised by leaders in closed-door discussions.

Back then, the support of her close ally, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Macron helped her clinch the nomination. Given the current balance of power in Europe, it’s hard to imagine Macron and Scholz pulling a major surprise this time.

Scholz is licking his wounds after his Social Democrats took a drubbing, while Macron is tied up with the snap elections he called last week in a risky bid to see off the far right.

In a secret ballot in 2019, von der Leyen made it over the line with 383 votes, nail bitingly close to the threshold of 374. She was an unpopular nominee because she had not campaigned in elections as a lead candidate and was seen as being imposed on Parliament by the leaders.

Associated Press writers Lorne Cook and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels, Angela Charlton in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Switzerland is hosting scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out the first steps toward peace in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during the opening plenary session of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday June 15, 2024. Switzerland is hosting scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out the first steps toward peace in Ukraine. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)

President Emmanuel Macron of France speaks during the opening plenary session, during the Summit on peace in Ukraine, in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday June 15, 2024. Dozens of world leaders converged on a Swiss resort Saturday to discuss how to bring peace to war-ravaged Ukraine, though any hopes of a real breakthrough were muted by the absence of Russia. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Switzerland is hosting scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out the first steps toward peace in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attends the plenary session during the Summit on peace in Ukraine, in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)