Kyle Larson Joining Race Industry Week This December
Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion and one of the most respected drivers in NASCAR, Midget, Sprint Car, Late Model, and IndyCar, will be a featured speaker at the 5th Annual Race Industry Week, taking place from Monday to Thursday, December 2-5.
Racing Career and Achievements
Known as a “wheel man” for his exceptional ability to control a race car, Larson has firmly established himself as a top driver in both pavement and dirt racing. He rose to stardom in NASCAR after making a name for himself in dirt track racing. The Northern California native of Japanese descent debuted in NASCAR in 2012 and quickly secured a full-time ride in the premier NASCAR Cup Series, becoming a regular playoff contender.
In 2021, upon joining Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Larson‘s career soared. He won a series-high 10 Cup Series races, including the NASCAR All-Star Race, on his way to the 2021 Cup Series championship. Impressively, Larson led 2,581 laps in 2021, the most by a driver since Jeff Gordon in 1995.
In addition to his NASCAR success, Larson won several marquee dirt track racing events in 2021, including the Chili Bowl, Kings Royal, Prairie Dirt Classic, and the Knoxville Nationals. This unique achievement is considered one of the greatest seasons in American racing history.
Continued Success and New Ventures
In 2022, Larson returned to victory lane three times in the NASCAR Cup Series and followed up in 2023 with four more wins, finishing as the championship runner-up. Off the track, he launched a new dirt track racing series called the High Limit Racing Sprint Car Series. The series had its first full 12-race season in 2023 and expanded to a 60-race nationwide schedule in 2024.
In 2024, Larson took on the challenge of racing an Indy car at the Indianapolis 500, aiming to become the fifth driver ever to attempt the 1,100-mile “Double” on the same day. This entails racing 500 miles at Indianapolis and then flying to Charlotte to race another 600 miles in the NASCAR Cup Series race. However, a rain-delayed start at the Indy 500, where Larson finished 18th, meant he missed the first half of the Charlotte 600 race, which was ultimately called off before he could participate. Despite this, the effort garnered significant media attention and fan interest, leading many to hope Larson will attempt it again in 2025.
