Off-season is when most NASCAR drivers slow down, take a break, and tend to many of the pending businesses, including health. Not Kyle Larson, whose ideal vacation revolves around some hard racing.
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Last year, while drivers like Bubba Wallace and Kyle Busch were chilling after a busy season; and Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin went under the knife, Larson was sharpening his skills on dirt tracks. He will be trying his hand at dirt racing this year too, along with a stint in Australia.
The #5 HMS ace had an impressive 2024 with six victories (highest among all the drivers), before bowing out in the Round of 8. Despite a taxing in-season schedule, the Hendrick Motorsports star appears eager to hit the dirt track circuit rather than take a break. However, Larson is yet to finalize his dirt racing calendar.
Before the final race at Phoenix, Larson gave a sneak preview of his off-season itinerary.
“I’ll do a handful of races for sure. Still trying to figure out all my plans, but yeah, I’ve got some midget races coming up in the next few weeks and then I’ll go to Australia. That’s my for sure races, I’m doing right now,” he shared.
What about the races in Mexico? “No! Not doing that this year,” said Larson.
“I’ll be in Australia,” he added. “Well, I guess over New Year and then I just have a lot going on. So, I’ve done it the last couple of years, I’ve had fun. But yeah just ready to do something different.”
Last year, Larson launched his off-season with a victory in the Hangtown 100 at Placerville Speedway. That was his second USAC NOS Energy Drink series win since 2019.
Initially, he had not planned to compete in the 2024 Chili Bowl in January. But he made a last-minute entry. The fans were thrilled to watch high-caliber drivers like Larson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. race wheel-to-wheel in Tulsa. He is likely to skip the 2025 Chili Bowl though.
Larson is getting ready for an exhilarating trip to Perth
Larson is set to team up with Jason Pryde Motorsport, a Western Australia-based outfit involved in Sprint Car and Australian Trans-Am racing. He will compete in the three-day High Limit International: Perth event from December 28 to 30 at the Perth Motorplex.
“I’m really excited to that side of Australia, I’ve never been to that side of the country. It will be a good time,” the 2021 NASCAR Cup champion had said via a press release in August.
The Perth event, which was unveiled in July, marks High Limit’s inaugural venture outside of North America. It features a record-setting $100,000 prize for the winner of the finale, the largest ever for an Australian Sprint Car race.
