Kyle Larson Admits He Needs to ‘Tame Himself’—Without Losing His Winning Edge

Kyle Larson is arguably one of the best NASCAR drivers of the current generation. With a Cup Series championship under his belt already, he is gunning for his second title in 2025. One key attribute that makes him who he is on the race track is his relentless attitude to push for victory at every chance. While this does him a lot of good, there are instances in which it backfires.

In a recent interview with Games with Names, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver was asked to describe his racing style. He noted that he is an aggressive and fast driver who lives on the edge. He believes that this sets him apart from most of his competitors. But then, it is also what leads to him not finishing races often and wrecking out of contention. 

Now 33 years old, Larson is at a crossroads where he feels the need to tame this aggression. He said, “How do I keep what’s good about me and about that, but also tame it down enough to where I’m not getting DNFs or whatever, but I’m also still winning a lot and contending a lot. I think what makes Kyle Larson Kyle Larson is that aggressiveness, but yeah, I do crash a lot.”

In 2025 so far, Larson has three wins, 11 top-fives, 14 top-10s, and two DNFs. He sits third in the standings, with every possibility of winning the regular season championship. He is 45 points below William Byron and 27 points below Chase Elliott. Hopefully, he doesn’t record another DNF in the next three races and deny himself the 15 playoff points that being regular season champion brings.

Can Kyle Larson secure another win this weekend?

The Cup Series field will travel to Watkins Glen, Richmond, and Daytona over the next three Sundays. The first race, at The Glen, is this weekend. Larson will try to put another win in his bag and head into the postseason blazing on all cylinders. And the chances of him doing so are good.

Across 10 starts at the road course, Larson has secured two wins, three top-fives, and five top-10s. He has led 38 laps in total. His average starting position is 7.4, with an average finish of 12.2. These numbers lean more on the positive side. So, the hope is that he has a pitch-perfect outing at the 2.45-mile circuit.

Larson would hope to keep that aggressiveness he spoke of at the right level to accomplish the same.