Brad Keselowski in Awe of Kyle Larson, Dispels Biggest NASCAR Fan Myth

NASCAR Cup Series owner/driver Brad Keselowski does it all in the sport. Despite being in stock car racing circles for over a decade, the RFK Racing owner is still in awe of one of NASCAR’s most highly regarded modern-day talents.

Speaking of Kyle Larson during a recent interview with The Athletic, Keselowski touched on how the Hendrick Motorsports star not only races in stock car racing’s biggest series but also is an avid dirt-track and grassroots racer over any given week.

He also elaborated on how it has always been a common fan misconception that drivers have free time at their disposal in between race weekends.

“Hands down, people think we just drive the race car on a weekend. And they’re like, “So what do you do Monday through Friday?” Prepare to drive the race car or talk about what we did and try to learn from it. That makes it so amazing to me when you see a guy like Kyle Larson who runs a sprint car race on a Tuesday or Wednesday.”

Larson is often seen competing in various types of machinery throughout the week ranging from Sprint Cars to Late Models, thus his hectic racing schedule. Further solidifying his point on how driving for a Cup Series team on Sunday often entails ancillary duties such as team meetings and driver briefings, drivers often end up working seven days a week.

“I saw him last week at driver intros and I’m like, ‘How did you even run that?’ He said, ‘I got on a commercial flight.’ And dirt racing is easier because they just race at night, right? They’re not there all morning. He said, ‘I get on a plane, I land at two or three o’clock, I’ll run the race, and then I’ll fly the redeye home.’ I said, ‘Wow. But what about all your other commitments?’ ‘Oh, you know, I just got out of them somehow.’ Which is interesting. But it’s tough. It’s a seven-day-a-week job for us,” said Keselowski.

While Kyle Larson‘s approach might be different from the average NASCAR driver, it certainly paints a picture of how busy the week can get in the life of a Cup Series driver.

Keselowski’s thoughts on NASCAR’s hybrid future

While many fans might not share a favorable outlook on how NASCAR progresses as a sport, the RFK Racing owner is certainly open to the possibility of racing hybrid Cup Series cars in the future. Elaborating on the topic during a recent interview, the 2012 champion made his thoughts clear.

“A hybrid in NASCAR would be a good thing for the sport, and there are a lot of fans who don’t think that. They don’t like the idea of hybrids and certainly hate the idea of electric vehicles. Hybrid is too close to that electric vehicle line, and they’re like, ‘Nah, it’s bad.'”

A hybrid NASCAR vehicle would also bring in possibilities such as an IndyCar-esque push-to-pass system to be introduced into the sport, adding another dimension of racing to stock car racing.

While a hybrid NASCAR Cup car is still a long way off into the horizon, drivers and teams prepare for this weekend as the first event of the postseason kicks off at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the 2024 Quaker State 400.