Kyle Larson is just a few hours away from getting the ball rolling on his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign. The upcoming Daytona 500 will be his 12th attempt at winning the Great American Race and his 22nd at winning at the Daytona International Speedway. For a highly ambitious driver, he surprisingly does not mind the prospect of never conquering the track.
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During the recent Media Day ahead of the famed race, he was asked if not winning at Daytona meant the same to him as it did to other drivers. He brought forward Tony Stewart, a driver with a similar career approach to him, to make his case. He noted how Stewart has never won the Daytona 500 and the lack of a Harley J. Earl trophy hasn’t affected his legacy.
He said, “He’s in every Hall of Fame that he’s deserving of being in. I don’t think it does anything to his career. Obviously, he would love to have it. That’s probably the same as me. Like, I’m not going to lose sleep if I don’t ever win this race, but I still want to win the race and have that ring and that trophy and be a part of the names that have won it.”
He added that the higher percentage of luck that matters in race results today also helps drivers sleep better if they never win at a particular track. His theory especially holds up at superspeedway tracks such as the tri-oval. The most unexpected of names can be found in victory lane, and the most deserving could miss out. Just last season, Harrison Burton won the Daytona Summer Race out of nowhere.
“He’s not good at superspeedways.”
Larson’s young son, Owen, kicked off the weekend for his family by catching a 4.58-pound fish from Lake Llyod. The effort was a part of the annual prerace fishing tournament. Speaking to the press after, the 10-year-old did not express confidence that his father could reach victory lane on Sunday.
He said, “He probably has to try really hard because he’s not good at superspeedways.” When asked if he had any advice, he admitted that he didn’t and that he had never drafted in his life. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver will start the Daytona 500 from 22nd place on the grid. Despite his easy-going talk about it, he has a strong desire to emerge victorious.
If there’s one thing that he loves, it is a good challenge. He also told Fox Sports, “Everybody in here wants to win the big one. I think this is like the last of the big ones that I have left [to win]. I think that adds a little bit more to it.” It is now up to him to prove that his son and the rest of the NASCAR community have made a mistake by underestimating his drafting skills.
