Kyle Larson pursues his third career Bristol victory as he starts third in Sunday’s Food City 500. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kyle Larson looks forward to any race weekend but especially at Bristol Motor Speedway. Besides his comfort and confidence at the 0.533-mile concrete track, the 30-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner likens his experiences at this venue to his roots.
“To me, it’s the closest style to a dirt sprint car race, although it’s a lot longer,” Larson said in a team press release. “Just the intensity, the aggression, the fast-paced style of that race I’m comfortable with.
“I just love that track. I look forward to going there. So yeah, Bristol has been a place where I’ve led tons of laps at before and won a lot of stages but have kind of fallen off at the ends of the races. But since joining Hendrick, we’ve been good all race long and that was fun to dominate that race this last year.”
Last year, Larson was a consistent frontrunner at Bristol, placing fifth in the Food City 500 before scoring a historical, dominant victory in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Sure, last summer’s masterclass win may be on the forefront of the 2021 Cup champion’s mind, but so is last spring’s race where tire degradation surprised the competition with the element of surprise.
In Saturday afternoon’s practice session, Larson had the fourth quickest time and fastest 10-lap consecutive average run. Qualifying third with a time of 14.931 seconds, he has a great view toward the front of the field like his mastery seen last September .
Kyle Larson thrives at Bristol Motor Speedway as he starts third in Sunday’s Food City 500. (Photo: Holden Barnes | The Podium Finish)
If there is a track where a driver’s confidence is supported by the statistics, it is Larson and the enigma known as Bristol. Tallying two wins, seven top fives and 12 top 10s in 17 career starts, the native of Elk Grove, California, practically embraces this concrete beast and the treacherousness of this tough track.
No matter what kind of race may unfold at Bristol, Larson will race with a heavy heart following the passing of Jon Edwards, his public relations representative who joined the Hendrick Motorsports media team in 2021. On Thursday evening, Larson expressed his emotions and thoughts for his colleague and friend.
“A sad day for everyone close to Jon,” Larson tweeted. “I will always be grateful for the memories we made and the laughs we shared along the way. He made a lasting impact on my life, and I will miss him deeply. My thoughts and prayers are with Jon’s family and loved ones.”
Larson entered this weekend’s races at Bristol with motivation given his past successes at this venue. Attempting for the rare weekend triple header sweep, Larson placed runner-up in Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race before winning Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series showdown virtually in cruise control.
Kyle Larson looks to go two out of three as he pursues a win in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
“It’s always good to win. The triple’s on your mind a little but I just want to do the best job I can and if you win, that’s great. If not, oh well,” Larson offered before reflecting on his friend and colleague. “To win this weekend with the passing of Jon just a few days ago is definitely special. He wouldn’t want us to be sad.
“I’ve been happy to see the smiling faces and everybody talking positively of Jon this week. It’s great to get a win (on Saturday night) and would love nothing more to get to celebrate with the 5 team (on Sunday) in honor of Jon.”
True to his word, Larson has remembered Edwards by remembering the happy memories, particularly a moment after winning the 2021 championship. And that is the way he will carry on for himself, his No. 5 team and the Hendrick organization, an approach like the dedicated, selfless demeanor from Edwards in his life and careeer.
“I think honestly, away from work, majority of the time, it’s revolved around some sort of work,” Larson said to Jacob Seelman of Race Face Digital. “We got to go to Dubai together at the end of of ’21. We had a great year that year, but we got to go there and spend time not really doing anything work related.
“That was fun just to get to know each other a lot more and just have fun together in a different country. There’s a lot of pictures from that trip too together, so that’s stuff that I’ll get to look back on and enjoy.”
Editor’s Notes
Kyle Larson meets with Jon Edwards following a win in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (Photo: John Arndt | The Podium Finish)
This article is dedicated to the late Jon Edwards, a friend to all with The Podium Finish team and those in the world of racing. Jon, we will always remember for your kindness and support to our staff for the past 10 years.
Our hearts and thoughts go to your family, friends and colleagues who will miss your selflessness and dedication to the sport, those around you and the encouragement offered to each of us. Thank you, Jon. Sundays will never be the same.
