Larson started out racing on dirt at the age of seven in an outlaw kart. When he came of age, he went on to dominate the dirt scene at Eldora Speedway, winning 4-crown nationals among other accolades. Always inclined towards open-wheeled cars rather than stock cars, Larson signed for the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing driver development program in 2012 while showing interest in the NTT IndyCar Series at the time.
The #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver’s performances in touring cars, however, opened up an opportunity in NASCAR as he made his Truck Series debut in 2012, with his Xfinity Series and Cup Series debut coming next year.
After being sacked by Joe Gibbs Racing following Larson’s usage of a racial slur at an iRacing event, he was picked up by Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports. Since not many sponsorship opportunities were available at the time, he was sponsored by one of the group’s own websites, hendrickcars.com. He then turned his misfortunes around by winning the Cup Series championship in 2021.
Fast forward a year after his championship-winning run, Kyle Larson has seen sponsorship interest grow as he has now signed a deal with Valvoline until 2027. The Lexington, Kentucky-based lubricant partner for Hendrick Motorsports will appear on Larson’s #5 Chevrolet three times a year.
Kyle Larson explains mistake at Indy Road Course that led to contact with Ty Dillon
The Verizon 200 at The Brickyard saw Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson make heavy contact with fellow driver Ty Dillon on the road course’s first turn. The heaviest braking point in Indianapolis saw Larson overshoot the corner and T-bone Dillon’s car, which was later pinned down to brake failure.
In a post-race interview with Bob Pockrass, Larson explained what really happened inside the car and said:
Watch the complete interview below:
NASCAR goes live from Richmond Raceway this Sunday for the Federated Auto Parts 400 at 3 pm ET.
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