Kyle Larson Moves Up To Center Stage

Kyle Larson in action racing the Target Chevrolet on the high banks of Daytona.  [Joe Jennings Photo]

Young driver Kyle Larson came out of nowhere a year ago and jumped to the top of the charts with his strong and sensational performances, doing so well Chip Ganassi tapped him to replace Juan Pablo Montoya in the Target Chevrolet.  The 21-year old Californian will make his debut for the team in the upcoming Daytona 500.

“This will be my first Daytona 500, and it should be really exciting,” Larson said.  “It is something I should never forget, so I am looking forward to it.”

Going into the 2013 campaign, Larson was known as a hard-charging sprint-car driver, driving hard and winning often.  But he didn’t hit the national stage until making his debut at the Daytona International Speedway, a place where he quickly made quite a splash.  In short order, he rammed his way to victory in first-ever Battle of the Beach, made his high banks debut in the ARCA race and then on last lap of the Nationwide race, garnered world-wide attention in a sensational last lap crash.

Wrecks are commonplace in sprint-car action and Larson has had his share of them, including a violent series of flips at the lightning-fast Eldora Speedway.  Asked where the grinding Daytona crash ranked on his wreck list, he said it wouldn’t make the top-5.  “When you race sprint cars, you have a lot of bad crashes and a lot that have hurt more than that one,” Larson said. “You can’t be scared when you are a driver, but I did get really lucky when the front half of the car got sheared off.”

Following Daytona, Larson raced full-time on the Nationwide Series circuit with Turner Scott Motorsports, impressing onlookers with his strong runs and challenges of the front-runners, including a last-lap duel at Bristol with Kyle Busch.  For the 2013 season, Larson finished eighth in the standings and earned rookie-of-the-year honors to become the first Asian-American and Drive for Diversity participant to do so.

With only 32 Nationwide Series on the schedule, Larson took advantage of the downtime by flying off to run winged and non-winged sprint car races all over the country.  All told, he raced 102 times, winning 15 times, picking up 18 seconds and 7 thirds for a remarkable .400 average for podium finishes.  Also, he chalked up his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series triumph at Rockingham.

As impressive as his the 2013 outcome was, Larson had a mixed viewpoint.  “2013 was up and down for me,” he said during Media Day at Daytona.  “It wasn’t my strongest year as wins go.  I won 16 races in different types of cars and finished second 18 times, which was way too many, but in Nationwide, I came close to winning four times, although there were times when we were going in wrong direction.  Overall, though, it was a good season.”

Sprint Cup drivers have substantive demands on their time, so Larson will not race sprint cars for a few months, so he can focus on his new career. However, he will keep his fingers wet through co-ownership of a World of Outlaws team with Shane Stewart behind the wheel.

Asked whether he would have believed a year ago, he would be in Sprint Cup in 2014, he commented, “I would like to hope so, as everyone dreams of being here.  I did get a lot of exposure last year with some of it good and some not so.  I just hope I can make headlines for good things in 2014.”

While many wondered whether Larson was ready for the giant step into Sprint Cup, Ganassi and Larson believed otherwise.  Said Larson, “Chip (Ganassi) knew I wanted to do it, and there was no pressure to put me into the car.  I felt like I was ready, and I am excited about it and so are they.”  And he’s determined to win rookie honors even though seven other young drivers are vying for the coveted award.

“Winning the rookie award will mean a lot to me, and I hope I can pull it off,” he said.  Of course, the others have the same outlook, and it could turn into a dual between Larson and Austin Dillon.

Looking ahead, Larson is focused on top-15 finishes while keeping an open mind of taking advantage of the new Chase rules and hoping to sneak into victory lane – a long-shot that could transpire.

“I want to be competitive and be in top 12 or 15 each race, win rookie of year and make the Chase,” said Larson about his goals for his freshman season in Sprint Cup.    “If you can come close to your goals, you have done well.”

With his determination and desire, Larson should do well in the years ahead.

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