I’m going to be honest: I really didn’t know how to talk about Kyle Larson.
We can talk about the past 11 months all we want. His mistake and road back to the Cup series have been addressed to the point that I can’t really add anything more. What intrigued me more was how Larson continued his development as a racer. As I watched the end of the race at Las Vegas, I watched a much more mature NASCAR driver, which should terrify everyone else in the garage.
Larson’s ascension was a long time coming. While most people first heard his name when he flew into the catch fence at the end of the 2013 Xfinity series season opener, Larson’s career really took off in 2012, when he beat the likes of Corey LaJoie, Brett Moffitt and some guy named Chase Elliott to win the K&N East championship. He also ran four truck races for Steve Turner, nearly winning at Phoenix before Brian Scott beat him on a green-white-checkered.
After Turner moved Larson immediately to Xfinity, he really started to turn some heads. He proved to be a quick study when they got to Bristol, as he forced Kyle Busch, one of the best drivers ever at the track, to block Larson into the wall to hold onto the win. He went on to have eight more top-fives on the season, coming home eighth in the points. He ran two truck races as well, dominating and winning the last race at Rockingham and coming home second at Eldora. With Juan Pablo Montoya going to IndyCar, Larson got his shot. He was going to go Cup racing for Chip Ganassi.
With 2013 Xfinity champion Austin Dillon bringing back the no. 3 car for his rookie campaign in 2014, Larson was kind of an afterthought for rookie of the year. That changed when the series rolled into Fontana, California. He started the weekend off putting his dirt skills to the test, ripping the wall to hold off Busch and Kevin Harvick for his first Xfinity win. The next day he and Busch went at it again on the last lap. He may not have won, but Larson was a household name at the end of the day. He had more close calls throughout the year, most notably at Chicagoland, where he got hugged by Jeff Gordon afterward; and Larson was the one who took home the rookie of the year.
While his 2015 season was a dud, his 2016 really taught him how to close out a race. He had another close call at Dover, before finally winning in a Cup car at the Sprint Showdown, defeating Elliott to make the All-Star race. He saw himself on the outside of the playoffs when they got to Michigan; and he finally broke through, beating Elliott again on a late-race restart to finally get into victory lane. Despite getting bounced in the first round of the chase, he had more strong runs at Richmond and Homestead. This set the stage for his breakout season in 2017.
From Homestead in 2016 to the fourth race in 2017 at Phoenix, Larson nearly won five races in a row. After getting passed for the win at Homestead, the Daytona 500 and Atlanta, Larson ran second at Vegas and Phoenix, nipping at the heels of his second win. When they got to Fontana, he wasn’t going to be denied. He sat on pole, led over 100 laps and drove away from Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski for the win. The win wasn’t his last, as he won both races at Michigan, going from third to first on a green-white-checkered in August, along with a win at Richmond. Along with the four wins, he set career-highs with 15 top-fives, 20 top-10s and 1,352 laps led. However, Larson also set a career-high with seven DNFs; and a blown engine at Kansas ended his championship bid. With all the good Larson and co. did in 2017, they were not consistent enough to be considered championship contenders. This left questions as to whether or not Larson would ever reach his potential at Chip Ganassi Racing.
These questions were asked more frequently in 2018. 12 top-fives, 19 top-10s and 782 laps led isn’t bad by any means; but Larson went winless. He did have some close calls, including the infamous Chicagoland last lap with Kyle Busch (again) and at Darlington where he led 284 laps. The playoffs went the same way, as Larson bowed out after Kansas. 2019 was very similar, he lost Chicagoland late and winless in the regular season. He needed to show something and make a run; and he got the job done at Dover. In the first race of the second round, the same round he’d gotten eliminated in the last two years, Larson led 154 laps and won his first race in two years. While not a championship threat, he remained competitive until he bowed out at Phoenix before the championship.
Why do I spend so much time running you through his career as of 2019? Because it’s been so long since then. The amount of turmoil both in Larson’s life and in the world since he won at Dover makes that and everything beforehand feel like medieval history. Larson’s first six years in Cup showed flashes of superstardom amidst a sea of untapped potential.
This untapped potential, believe it or not, was shown off in 2020. After the suspension, Larson went dirt racing. All he did was put up potentially the greatest season in the history of racing. Through Oct. 27, Larson had raced in 82 events. He went on to win an unbelievable 42 races, along with 60 total podiums and an average finish of 3.5. Larson can run a sprint car just like ringing a bell. He won the Chili Bowl Nationals the past two years, and will run weekday features even when he’s running a full cup schedule. Larson’s dirt racing history should leave no question as to his pure talent.
Make no mistake: drivers knew how incredibly talented Larson is. In 2017, Kevin Harvick called him the best driver to enter NASCAR since Jeff Gordon 25 years before. If that’s not enough for you, in 2019, Tony Stewart was on the Dale Jr. Download and said Larson had the most raw talent of anyone in NASCAR. Stewart, both a NASCAR and dirt racing legend, even added that Larson “doesn’t think about what he does; he just gets in and does it.”
Both expectations and pressure were sky-high when Hendrick Motorsports announced Larson would come out of suspension and run the no. 5 car in 2021. His talent warranted this ride, but can he lure sponsors? Can he live up to the expectations and bring home some wins?
Four races in, the answer appears to be yes.
Larson has a long way to go. He has more wins to go grab, more fans to convince and more sponsors to attract. Winning is going to solve a lot of issues. Larson is finally getting to live up to his full potential, and his career is, hopefully, just getting started.
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