Kyle Larson hopes for a kinder, more ideal Daytona 500 experience. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Much like Terry Labonte, Rusty Wallace and Ken Schrader, 30-year-old Kyle Larson has dealt with perplexing Daytona 500 experiences in his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Like those three stock car legends, Larson has showcased his talents as a wheelman at most venues except for the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.
Certainly, Larson has barrel rolled like Wallace, tasted bitter defeat like Labonte and dropped the hammer during front row qualifying sessions like Schrader.
While he wants to win the Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), he must overcome a bit of trepidation with the unknowns of superspeedway racing.
It may be about mind over matter for Larson with Daytona. (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
“Yeah, definitely. I would love to, and I’m sure at some point in my career the stars will align and, and I will,” Larson said during Daytona 500 Media Day availabilities. “I also I need to do a better job of putting myself in the right spot. I used to always say, ‘oh, I’ve got bad luck at these places,’ and stuff. I don’t think those guys that are always in contention have better luck than me.
“I think they’re putting themselves in a better position to avoid crashes. I seem to always find my way to around 10th, and that’s kind of where you get swarmed up in a crash. Just got to continue to try and evolve and figure it out quickly to be up upfront.”
Last year, Larson was around the hornet’s nest, buzzing inside the top 10 within the final 10 laps before he was collected in a multi-car accident that relegated him to a 32nd place result.
Ahead of Sunday’s Daytona 500, Larson rocketed his way to a second place starting position during front row qualifying on Wednesday night.
Despite the notions that Larson’s familiar No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro lacked optimum handling for race trim, he put those thoughts aside during Thursday night’s second Bluegreen Vacations Duel.
Leading nine laps and racing inside the top five for a balance of the race, Larson’s car could make hardy bump drafts and stay relatively under control in the drafting pack.
Sure, Larson likely saw his past Daytona 500 experiences flash before his eyes when he bump drafted into Todd Gilliland’s No. 38 Ford Mustang on the final lap of their Duel race in Turn 2.
In both drivers’ cases, they were able to keep their cars under control as they respectively crossed the stripe in sixth and seventh.
Similarly, Larson’s No. 5 car appeared to handle well during Friday afternoon’s practice session, the most indicative of the two preliminary rounds before Sunday’s big race.
Perhaps some of Larson’s confidence stems from last year’s Playoffs. Although there were some frustrating results, particularly in the Round of 12, the Elk Grove, California native ended last season with three consecutive top 10 results.
“I felt like we were pretty fast the last 10 races, I think we were one of the best teams in the Playoffs consistently,” he said. “I think we were kind of that way the whole year. We just didn’t execute to our potential, where I think we executed to our potential more often in the Playoffs. Maybe not every race, but I feel like we did a decent job.
“We ended the year pretty strong and I don’t think any rules have really changed over the course of the off season. I think whoever was fast towards the end of the year are probably going to be pretty good to start the year. We’ll see. I’m ready to just hit the track and kind of see where we stack up.”
As Larson looks to see where he and his No. 5 team stack up against their competition, he can take heart as one of the most recent Cup champions.
Might Sunday’s Daytona 500 feature the Kyle and Kyle Show? (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
Given his tremendous 2021 title season, the versatile racer aspires for more success in his Cup career in a year that celebrates NASCAR’s 75th anniversary.
“I think it’s an amazing milestone year. I think it means more to me because I am one of those champions throughout the 75 years of its existence,” Larson said. “It’s pretty special. I don’t know where I rank within those 75 years, but I feel like we had a pretty solid year in my championship season.
“It’s just cool to be a part of the history of the sport, and know that I’ll be always a part of the history of the sport. I look forward to the next however many years to the next milestone.”
