Kyle Larson is often the first Cup Series driver that comes to mind when discussing the topic of dirt racing. But despite his prowess on dirt surfaces across disciplines, the Hendrick Motorsports driver does not seem to be too keen on the inclusion of a dirt race in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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While speaking with the members of the media a short while back, Larson clearly indicated his stance regarding racing on dirt tracks like Bristol in the top flight of American Stock car racing.
Kyle Larson is not in favor of dirt races in the NASCAR schedule
Speaking about his take on NASCAR racing on dirt, Larson mentioned, “I think we all really enjoy the concrete surface here at Bristol. I think the crowd’s typically bigger — it seems like at this point now for the concrete stuff. I don’t know. It’s up to the series and the promoters, but I would love to get back to running two races on the concrete here.”
When further inquired where else would he prefer to race if it was not Bristol, Larson quickly responded that he would not prefer any dirt track for the matter. He concluded his argument by stating, “We don’t need to be racing dirt.”
Intriguingly, it wasn’t the first time he spoke unfavorably against having dirt races in NASCAR either. He had a similar frame of mind a year prior as well when he argued that they were wasting their time and not providing the fans with anything entertaining to watch.
NASCAR Insider remains optimistic about future inclusion of dirt events
Meanwhile, the senior vice president of racing development and strategy of NASCAR, Ben Kennedy, recently explained their decision regarding dirt tracks and how they were moving out of it in favor of concrete and asphalt at Bristol. While Larson would appreciate NASCAR’s decision to remove the dirt race from its schedule, Kennedy also revealed how they did not drop the idea of adding dirt races into the schedule if feasible, sometime in the future.
Kennedy stated, “We’re certainly open to dirt racing, whether it be with our Cup Series, Xfinity Series, or Craftsman Truck Series. Something we’re going to continue to consider. That said, I think after we’ve seen racing on the dirt at Bristol play out for the past few years and hearing some of the fan feedback, we felt like it was an opportunity for us to shake things up a bit, move back to the concrete surface in the spring, and move back to all asphalt and concrete tracks for ’24.”
Talking about the future, he believed that “dirt racing does have a unique place in motorsports.” He clarified that statement, mentioning how most of the drivers in the Cup Series started their careers racing on dirt, adding, “You think of some of the best racing that I’ve personally seen, it’s on dirt.”
Kennedy further stated that he looked forward to a future dirt race possibility in NASCAR. However, he did not provide an exact timeline for the inclusion of such an event in the Cup Series schedule.
