There is a reason why Kyle Larson enjoys racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series occasionally. He gets to reach Victory Lane far easier than in the Cup Series, and he also gets to humble the younger drivers in the second tier. On Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he will be pulling double duty once again. His goal this time is not much different from the usual.
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He told the press, “I love to get in there and race with those younger guys. Hopefully, give them a glimpse of what it might take once you get to the Cup Series because a lot of them are very well capable of being Cup Series drivers.” Notably, he won the Brickyard 400 last season. He hopes to have a good run on Saturday and cap things off with a win on Sunday.
NASCAR has limited the number of races that Cup Series drivers can run in the Xfinity Series over the last few years. This has led the younger drivers to lose the idea of just how competitive the premier tier is. Larson has made it his mission to teach them a lesson and prepare them for the challenge that they will inevitably face if and when they move up the ladder.
He told Kevin Harvick earlier this year, “I want to embarrass NASCAR a little bit because they just don’t let Cup [Series] guys run anymore, and the kids they probably think they’re in a good spot, and they don’t know where the bar is really at, so I like to go run those Xfinity races and get 10-second leads to let them realize that they’ve got a lot of room to improve.”
Can Larson delay Dale Earnhardt Jr. from reaching a significant milestone?
JR Motorsports is one of the biggest powerhouses in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team has been incredibly strong in 2025 and is just one step away from securing 100 Victory Lane visits. It would be any team owner’s dream to secure that 100th win at a legendary track like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as well.
But he clearly understands that it won’t become a reality easily now that Larson will be piloting the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports car against his drivers. He said on Dale Jr. Download, “Well, I hope we could do (win) it at Indy, but I just read yesterday that Larson’s driving the #17, so that job got a little tougher. I will admit that he is a very good race car driver in a good race car.”
Larson has won two of the three Xfinity Series races that he has started this year. He appears to be set to add another win to his resume this Saturday. If anyone can drag down the speeds of Justin Allgaier and Connor Zilisch, it is him.
