Kyle Larson knows his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team can contend on any given race weekend. (Photo: Erik Smith | The Podium Finish)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — There is more to life as a professional NASCAR Cup Series competitor like Kyle Larson than the obvious task on any given race weekend. While the focus on a potential weekend sweep ended in Saturday’s Hard Rock Bet 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 offers a fresh reset.
Beyond the glory of pulling into Victory Lane when it all comes together, Larson connects with communities around the racetrack.
During the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix race weekend at Circuit of the Americas, the 32-year-old native of Elk Grove, California, met with local students with a focus in the automotive industry alongside Rajah Caruth, a fellow racer sponsored by HendrickCars.com.
“We were at Crockett Early College High School at their auto shop there,” Larson said. “With Hendrick Automotive Group, we got to present them with a $25,000 check that they can use however they need to improve on their auto shop.
“It’s always good to go there and speak to the kids. Obviously, Rajah is much closer to their age, so he can relate really well. But either way it’s a good time and meaningful to have an impact.”
A driver’s role extends beyond the cockpit and chasing the checkered flag. It means being a goodwill ambassador not only for sponsors and partners, but for the future in racing and automotive worlds.
Those same young eyes also watch Larson for what he does on the track. Naturally, the 2021 Cup Series champion does more of his talking in his No. 5 Chevrolet, always pushing the limits and almost ignoring the dangers like the greats in this highly competitive sport.
Kyle Larson puts his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet toward the Turn 2 wall at Homestead-Miami Speedway for that optimum line. (Photo: Erik Smith | The Podium Finish)
Sometimes, some of that willpower to ignore the risks means compartmentalizing the tough weekends and building towards stronger, productive efforts. This was the case for the 29-time Cup race winner when his 2025 season started off with a pendulum swing in the 67th DAYTONA 500 and thriller at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“I wouldn’t say Daytona and the lack of a good run affected anything,” Larson observed. “You always try to do a good job every week. But yeah, we went to Atlanta and had a good car. I think our handling was, although not perfect, still better than a lot of people
“So yeah, we could be aggressive and felt like we made a good call on lanes and stuff we got in. It worked out, but yeah, at the end, it was fun to be a part of the mix there. Looking back, we could have made a couple different moves and maybe had a better result.”
Race day at Circuit of the Americas did not treat Larson and his team kindly when he placed 32nd on an afternoon that saw a loose wheel and a late race, Turn 20 spin. About the only saving grace was scoring the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the Race Award netting a potential, pivotal single point.
Rebounding to a podium finish at Phoenix, Larson was in position to win last Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway despite starting 10th. Leading the most laps and finishing fifth in Stage 1 and winning Stage 2, a late race caution altered his team’s original strategy.
Opting to pit for fuel if the race went down to fuel mileage, despite a final caution inside the final 30 laps, Larson could only muster a ninth place result.
Despite missing out on a potential victory at Las Vegas, like with Daytona, Larson dusted off a frustrating circumstance to focus on the next venue — Homestead-Miami Speedway. Racing at this 1.5-mile intermediate is like wearing a favorite outfit or enjoying a great meal for the versatile driver.
“I love racing at Homestead,” he said in a team press release. “It’s definitely one of my top-three favorite tracks. I’ve been able to find a line near the wall that for the most part I am comfortable with. Hopefully, we can have some solid results for HendrickCars.com this weekend in all three series.”
Winning on Friday night’s Baptist Health 200 Truck Series race, Larson nearly captured Saturday’s Hard Rock Bet 300 before a caution inside the final 10 laps set up a NASCAR Overtime restart. A hard push from Sam Mayer, restarting in the inside of Row 2, lifted Larson’s car off the ground, losing traction and the race to place fourth.
Kyle Larson hopes to make it two out of three at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400. (Photo: John Arndt | The Podium Finish)
Nevertheless, Larson has a shot to make it two out of three with Sunday’s 267-lap race. Starting 14th, Larson has the long run pace, posting the third quickest overall time and third fastest 10-lap consecutive average.
Larson has a bit of work to do to drive toward the front, including battling his Hendrick Motorsports allies in polesitter Alex Bowman and fifth place starter William Byron. That might even mean a potential ‘driver selfie’ video in the golf cart which Larson enjoys along with strengthening his rapport with his teammates.
“I do enjoy those,” he said with a smile. “They’re funny. Alex is the perfect guy to kind of run that. He’s got a good dry sense of humor. It’s fun.
“I feel like when we do the offseason stuff or even those golf cart videos, they’re a lot of fun because I feel like we also get to interact together and build a relationship even more, for sure.”
Editor’s Notes
We’ve only scratched the surface. Dive into the full conversation with Kyle Larson talks about the team’s dynamics, a milestone feat slated later this season and those Hendrick selfie videos. Subscribe to The Podium Finish+ (TPF+) for the full story and more stories like these!
