Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wikipedia
Double Duty also referred to as the Indy-Charlotte Double or Memorial Day Double, refers to an accomplishment in automobile racing in which a driver competes in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. The feat was first attempted by John Andretti on May 29, 1994. In 2001, Tony Stewart became the first and only driver to date to successfully complete all 1,100 miles of both races in the same day. The two races, organized by separate sanctioning bodies— IndyCar and NASCAR respectively—are held on Memorial Day weekend, and are considered two of the biggest annual events on the U.S. motorsports calendar.
The "Double Duty" calls for a driver to compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana in the early afternoon, then take an airplane to Concord, North Carolina to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the evening. The feat is considered difficult on face, as well as physically demanding and mentally draining. It is somewhat similar in concept to the established discipline of endurance racing, however, the driver is expected to drive both races in their entirety without the help of a relief driver.
Considerable media attention usually spotlights a driver who attempts the "Double Duty." The concept dates back specifically to 1994, but as far back as the 1960s, drivers have attempted to compete in both events when they were held on different days of the week. Also during the 1960s and 1970s, a handful of drivers raced at the Indianapolis 500 while maintaining a full-time schedule in Formula One. This would require them to travel between Indianapolis and Europe during the month of May, usually between Indy and Monaco, on an equally as demanding schedule.
Four drivers ( John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch) have attempted the Indianapolis/Charlotte "Double Duty" feat. Of these, Tony Stewart's 2001 effort stands as the best combined result. He finished 6th at Indianapolis and 3rd at Charlotte, completing all 1,100 miles. Among the handful of drivers in the 1960s and 1970s that attempted "crossovers," Donnie Allison competed in both events in a year in which they were held on successive days.
To date, the most recent attempt was made by Busch in 2014. He finished in 6th place at the Indianapolis 500, and was the fastest rookie. However, he dropped out of the Coca Cola 600 with a blown engine mid-race. He completed 906 miles.
Double Duty is a 2009 action-comedy television film starring Mimi Lesseos, Tom Sizemore, Susan Duerden, Alfonso Freeman, Karen Black, Ismael 'East' Carlo, Anthony De Longis, and Connie Stevens.
Double Duty may refer to:
- Double Duty (auto racing), competing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day
- Double Duty Radcliffe (1902–2005), baseball player in the Negro leagues
- Double Duty (film), 2009 action-comedy television film
Usage examples of "double duty".
And they also pulled double duty as weather satellites, air traffic control radar arrays, law enforcement surveillance platforms, and traffic control points for any freighters which called here.
It was the day of the assassination plot, in which, Yama suspected, Brabant, the servant with the keys to the kitchens of the House of Twelve Front Rooms, was Prefect Corin's agent, doing double duty after he had led Yama to the Prefect.
But if you want to pull double duty as conscience officer, that's fine by me.
Upended, they were the right height for a workbench, and our cases sometimes did double duty as furniture.
Even Chekov showed no signs of edginess at having less than his normal double duty load to contend with.
On the other hand, the men at Keflavik had been on double duty for a week now, and they were tired.
Geblon was doing double duty, picking a fight with Lamochares' men now that the slattern was gone.
And they also pulled double duty as weather satellites, air-traffic control radar arrays, law-enforcement surveillance platforms, and traffic control points for any freighters which called here.