Every year, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson is one of the frontrunners for the championship trophy as the #5 Chevrolet Camaro driver searches for his second title in the world of NASCAR. With four years of experience at Rick Hendrick’s racing outfit, it is a curious case of how Larson, heading into his fifth year, developed as a driver after he joined the team.
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Driving for the now-defunct Chip Ganassi Racing before his stint with HMS came to fruition, almost every stock car racing fan came to know how his time at his former team ended. The Elk Grove, California native was dropped from the team as a result of using a racial slur during an online simulation lobby in 2020.
Heading into the 2025 season, Larson explained how his mentality towards racing has changed over the years, partly owing to the performance HMS is capable of putting out every weekend. He elaborated, “It’s nice to show up to the racetrack pretty much every week and know you’ve got a shot to win,” he said.
“I think that helps keep you hungry and striving to do what you can to win. Back when I first started, there were only a handful of races throughout the year where I felt like I could maybe win (that) weekend, and you got really excited about that,” Larson added further.
Larson’s career statistics have taken a huge leap ever since he joined Hendrick Motorsports, with the 32-year-old having racked up more wins, championships, Championship 4 appearances, and poles than in the 219 races spent with Ganassi.
With his dirt racing exploits also keeping him occupied during the week, Larson seems content with where he is at in his career, whether its on dirt or the asphalt on the weekends.
The unfortunate circumstances of Larson’s Ganassi exit
Larson came under flak from not only his team but also NASCAR as well as Chevrolet after he used a racial slur during an online iRacing event back in 2020. While Chip Ganassi, owner of his then team fired him without pay, the governance suspended Larson indefinitely from competition, along with the golden bowtie also condemning his actions.
“I made a mistake and said the word that should never, ever be said and there’s no excuse for that,“ said Larson after the fact in an apologetic video he posted online. As a result of his misstep, Larson was also reported to have lost all sponsors during the year, with the likes of McDonald’s and Clover terminating Larson as one of their representatives.
With the ripples also affecting his dirt racing world with the World of Outlaws mandating sensitivity training for him, 2020 was a time in the now #5 Chevy driver’s career that could have ended his career.
However, as if it was meant to be, Rick Hendrick saw a glimmer of hope in him and here he is today, considered one of the sport’s best drivers, often representing NASCAR on stages such as the NTT IndyCar Series’ premier event, the Indy 500.
