Larson impresses competitors, fans and owner
With the retirements of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR is quickly introducing to fans its next generation of Monster Energy Cup Series drivers. The most exciting, arguably, is Kyle Larson.
After earning his first Cup win in 2016, Larson was NASCAR’s breakout star of 2017 with four victories. Only champion Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch led more laps.
“He’s constantly trying to find more speed, push the limits, find the edge,” four-time champion Jeff Gordon said. “Nobody works the high line better than Kyle.”
Larson and team owner Chip Ganassi spoke with The Arizona Republic ahead of Sunday’s TicketGuardian 500 at ISM Raceway.
Q: Why can you run the high line when others can’t?
Larson: I think it goes to my background growing up racing on dirt tracks. Knowing how to run the cushion — putting the right rear (tire) up in the moisture (layer of dirt thrown to outside of the track) at the top to get a lot of grip. In a stock car it can be kind of the same feeling, in a way, running next to the wall. I kind of feel the air packed between the wall and my car. You’ll get grip that way.
Q: What drew your attention to Larson?
Ganassi: There was a week when he was in the ASA race at New Smyrna (Speedway, Fla.) and I saw him in Daytona the next night and get in a (Camping World Truck Series) truck the next night. I saw this kid go from car to car to car and then in a sprint car in four to five nights. He was competitive in all of them. I thought, “How the hell does a guy, with virtually no practice, no testing, do what he did?”
Q: What makes him special? Ganassi: The thing you can’t see is the throttle trace (on computer). He has great throttle control, that he learned in sprint car racing, and he’s been able to apply that to a Cup car in certain instances.
Q: Kyle says he’d like to race in the Indianapolis 500. Are you going to field a car for him?
Ganassi: We talk about it often. But I think after he saw Scott Dixon’s accident last year, he thought maybe there’s a little bit more to it than just hopping in those cars and going.
Q: What do you think when fans say you’re the most exciting driver in NASCAR?
Larson: I think I’m exciting to watch just because of my aggressiveness and all that stuff I learned on dirt tracks.