NASCAR drivers aren’t competitive beasts out on public roads like they are on ovals and tracks. But they do have to make real efforts not to let their racer mentality kick in when driving in their Broncos or Sequoias on the streets of a city. Sometimes, however, things get out of hand.
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In an older interview, recently crowned NASCAR champion Kyle Larson spoke about how he handles himself on the road and manages speeding tickets. “I don’t go the speed limit, but I am not the fastest car on the road,” Larson said.
“I typically set the cruise at about four to seven miles an hour over the speed limit, and I definitely have had my fair share of speeding tickets for sure. I never try to talk myself out of it at all. Usually, I am just super cooperative and try to be the nice guy, hoping that it gets me out.”
Being a NASCAR driver, you would expect that he gets recognized often when the police pull him over for speeding. While he admitted that nothing like that had happened up to that point, he went on to share a funny story that came close.
Dr. Lynn is a chiropractor whose services many NASCAR teams, including Larson’s, use. Her husband happened to be a sheriff, something Larson didn’t know. So after winning the 2021 Chili Bowl Nationals, he was heading home from a friend’s race shop in the middle of the day when he got pulled over by the sheriff.
Larson said, “I was excited to get blown because what is he possibly pulling me over for? I was going the speed limit, but I passed him. I roll the window down, and he’s like, ‘Sir, I’m pulling you over for robbery. Stealing everybody’s money out there in Tulsa.’ I started laughing. He’s like, ‘Oh, yeah. I am Dr. Lynn’s husband. So, that was cool.”
The Hendrick Motorsports driver elevated his stature as a NASCAR superstar in 2025 by winning his second Cup Series championship. While most drivers use the offseason to rest their minds and bodies, he keeps his engine running by competing in dirt races and other events across the country.
With the boost in popularity he has gained since that interview, it is likely he gets recognized far more often now than he did back when he was getting pulled over for speeding. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen too often.
