Several years back a teenage Kyle Larson rose from the ranks of Keith Kunz Motorsports to take the racing world by storm. Now in 2024, another talented youngster looks set to follow the same path he paved. Jade Avedisian is a 17-year-old Californian who won a national midget championship in 2023 and made it into the latest Chili Bowl main event as a rookie.
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These and all her other achievements on the track have turned a lot of eyes and amongst them are that of Larson. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports superstar has gone as far as considering Avedisian the next-best female racer. He says, “She’s got a very aggressive style and she’s fun to watch. … A great lady, a great family, and comes from the West Coast, too, and so that’s another reason for me to cheer for her.”
As she continues running in USAC events for Keith Kunz, Larson hopes that she will be able to garner more wins. She will be transitioning to asphalt racing this year by competing in a Toyota GR for Trans-Am team Nitro Motorsports. Toyota Racing has been a strong believer in her abilities, which is why the company has signed a multi-year contract with her with the idea of propelling her to the Cup Series someday.
The carmaker’s GM Tyler Gibbs says of her development, “This is not a race to get her to some particular point [by a certain time]. It’s really about her maturation as a driver as well as a person.” Larson too believes that the youngster will benefit the most when she is not under pressure and hopes that she will get to be herself behind the wheel. “I am excited to see her career progress,” he concluded.
Jade Avedisian is unfazed by words of praise and unshaken by stories of failure
Aware of the high expectations that surround her career at the moment, Avedisian says, “It’s really cool when people say that about me, but right now … I just try not to look too far into the future.” The ladders of racing are filled with aspirational drivers who believe that they are skilled enough to break into the top tiers of motorsports. While they may have been so, it is not every ship that the winds favor.
Despite the odds, Avedisian’s time and focus is on working out at the Toyota Performance Center and her next race behind the wheel. She confirms her ambition, “My goal is to make it to NASCAR Cup Series racing on Sunday. I’m going to leave it to the people at Toyota to hopefully put me in the right spot.”
