Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are ready to go head-to-head in the Championship 4 at Phoenix, each gunning to steal the crown from the other while fending off Chase Briscoe and William Byron. But interestingly, despite sharing the same stage, their careers tell two very different stories. Larson, already a Cup Series champion at 33 years old, still has youth on his side, while Hamlin, 10 years his senior, boasts 60 Cup wins spanning across a 21-year career.
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If Larson keeps his current pace, he could well be knocking on Hamlin’s door in the record books by the time he reaches that age. But while Hamlin’s focus remains on milestones and titles, and clinching his elusive first title, Larson’s long game looks more personal, centered around family rather than stats.
“I can absolutely see myself racing till I’m 40. After that, it’s kind of when I want to reevaluate. I could still go another five, seven, 10, or stop then…” But when asked, why 40 is the age he assesses things, Larson said, “Well, Owen will be 18. Audrey will be mid-teens. Cooper will be about 10. I think life is going to look completely different for them.”
“I’m sure they’ll be hopefully successful. If Owen is racing or Audrey is racing, whatever, they’ll have a lot going on in their lives then. I would think right now I would want to be a part of that,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Larson’s kids are already making names of their own. Owen, 11, and Audrey, 7, both compete in junior racing, often lining up against each other. Audrey recently bagged her first win at Millbridge Speedway in September 2025, ahead of the Bristol Motor Speedway race, a moment that mirrored her father’s early spark. Both younger Larsons continue to work on their skills on dirt tracks, cutting a path that feels unmistakably Larson.
Regardless of how their futures unfold, the 33-year-old plans to stay in their corner, racing the balance between life on the track and time with his family. With his youngest, two-and-a-half-year-old Cooper Donald, waiting in the wings, the question now is whether he, too, will join the family business when his time comes.
