Kyle Larson has been an absolute beast at the Homestead-Miami Speedway ever since he made his debut in the Cup Series. He has earned one win and five top-five finishes in 10 starts at the intermediate track. A part of the credit for his mastery should be given to two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch.
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When Larson was running in the K&N Series in 2012, he also had a four-race Truck Series schedule. One of those races was at Homestead-Miami and Busch was a part of the fixture. At one point during the event, Rowdy passed Larson and gestured that he should be running higher up the track.
The 2021 Cup Series champion was running the top lane at the time but wasn’t quite close to the fence. He narrated in a recent interview, “So then I was like f**k it, I’m just going to enter on the fence and I was like damn, this is like… I’m wide open way before I’m starting four. I’m like this is way easier. And then I drove back by Kyle a few laps later.”
How @KyleLarsonRacin learned to run at the top at @HomesteadMiami is wild. pic.twitter.com/FIpcrAHo75
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 27, 2024
Little did Busch know that Homestead-Miami would become a hunting ground for Larson in the future. He seems to have given the Hendrick Motorsports star a strong idea about the side force concept, which makes cars riding close to the fence go faster on the track. It proves the immense experience and knowledge Busch had 12 years ago.
Fans fawn over epic on-track teacher-student moment
Race fans on X (formerly Twitter) were fascinated to hear about this exchange between two of the modern greats of the sport. One fan said that Rowdy was the reason behind Larson’s dominance at the Homestead-Miami Speedway and noted, “Kyle Busch created a monster.” Another added, “Flicking you off and giving you advice. Kyle’s a real one.”
“That’s such a cool story,” one user wrote. “Ha that is pretty wild.,” quipped another. Like Larson, Busch also has an impressive record at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has started 19 races at the track in the Cup Series and has earned two wins, five top-five, and 11 top-10 finishes.
This year, he will go into the race desperate for a win. However, with a driver like Larson on the track, it will be a huge challenge. The veteran was the one who taught Larson the secret behind running well at Homestead. On Sunday, he will perhaps be the biggest obstacle standing between Busch and victory lane.
