For a brief moment on Thursday night, Kyle Larson appeared to have forgotten the incredible racer that he is, as he placed only the 15th fastest time in the Toyota Night Qualifying of the Knoxville Nationals. However, he was able to finish in fourth place in the fifth heat race to secure a place in the World of Outlaws main event in the final transfer. The format seeded him in fifth place for the finale.
Advertisement
And when the flag was waved to kick the 25-lap event off, the Larson the world knows came back. He went three-wide right off the bat in attack mode and made it clear what his mission was. In just five laps, he became the runner-up and had only Spencer Bayston between him and the checkered flag. He overcame the deficit soon enough and ended up securing his second straight Thursday win.
He told the press in the aftermath, “Honestly, I’m out of breath. That was a really fast-paced 25 laps. The track was really slick, but then again, it was super gripped up. It just made it really technical. Your car was dancing around a lot. I was using both feet quite a bit, and steering was pretty heavy there, but it was fun.” The victory continued his brilliant streak in the No. 57 car.
KYLE LARSON WINS TOYOTA QUALIFYING NIGHT 2!#NOSvilleNationals pic.twitter.com/aoIy72m58v
— Knoxville Raceway (@knoxvilleraces) August 8, 2025
He has now won 10 of his last 22 Sprint Car races at the Knoxville Raceway. Unfortunately, though, the win wasn’t enough to balance the early troubles he faced. He will start Saturday’s race from ninth place. His starting positions in the years that he won the race were third, in 2021, and first, in 2023 and 2024. So, he is going to have to do some work this time around.
He admitted, “I wish we had done a little better earlier in the night. It’ll be enough to lock in the Feature for sure, but I’m guessing we’ll be eighth to 10th in points, which isn’t great, but we can still win from there hopefully on Saturday.”
Larson also has plenty of work to do on the NASCAR front. The regular season championship is up for grabs, and he stands third in the points table. His biggest rivals in the fight for the 15 playoff points that being the regular season champion brings are his teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott.
“Yung Money” will need to be in his best form at Watkins Glen International on Sunday to remain in contention with these talented drivers. Winning on Saturday could provide a huge mental boost and help his chances on Sunday.
