It is easy to get lost in the clouds of fame and popularity when one reaches the highest levels of motorsports and earns a telling name there. However, Kyle Larson is still conscious of the fact that he still has a long way to go before he can fully enjoy that comfort. A product of that awareness is his pressing need to introspect and improve his performance constantly.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver spoke on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio recently and criticized himself for being the driver who crashed the most in 2024. He said, “When you look at personal statistics at the end of the year, I feel like I still crash about the most. So, that is one area that I’ve tried to get better at even though it doesn’t seem like it.”
“We haven’t won a championship in a few years, so there’s still definitely room to improve on yourself, the team and car.”
Even after six wins in 2024, @KyleLarsonRacin sees potential growth for himself and the @TeamHendrick No. 5 team.
More ➡️ https://t.co/WGRTG5gVtL pic.twitter.com/6nii9tlKq4
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) January 14, 2025
Larson looks at the upcoming season as an opportunity to figure out how to maintain who he is without crashing. He believes that finding the solution will make him a more successful driver than he was in 2024, with six victory lane visits. Also, the fact that it has been a few years since he won his maiden championship (2021) tells him that there is abundant space for improvement.
Rest assured, he is adamant about filling that space. Larson did not finish five of the races that he started last year. His performance graph is filled with extreme highs and extreme lows. His hunt for a second championship relies a whole lot on him ironing these issues out.
NASCAR makes things tricky for Larson through rule change
Larson missed out on starting the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 because he had been in Indianapolis to participate in the Indy 500. NASCAR still granted him a playoff waiver and allowed him to compete in the postseason. But this leniency will not continue in 2025. The sanctioning body has strengthened the wording of this page of the rule book.
If a driver fails to turn up for a race, owing to a non-medical or family emergency, he will be stripped of all his playoff points and start the Round of 16 in the last position. Therefore, Larson would be subjected to this rule if he missed the 2025 Coca-Cola 600.
The driver, however, isn’t all that worried about the change despite confirming that he will attempt the Double again this year. He told Sportsnaut, “Really, hopefully, no one has to worry about that. It’s a very aggressive rule change. Yeah. Abide by the rules. Be a clean racer. Calm racer. Make NASCAR your priority and you’ll be fine.” An interesting year is up ahead for Yung Money.
