Kyle Larson was the first driver among those remaining in the NASCAR Cup Playoff field to lock into the Final 4 with his win at Las Vegas. For the final two races in the round at Homestead followed by Martinsville that means that Larson can focus on the big prize: the final race of the season in Phoenix in three weeks where a champion will be crowned.
You’d think that Larson would be looking ahead to that most important race of the season, the race he won for his title in 2021.
You’d be wrong.
Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Larson was asked how much time he spent this week thinking about Phoenix and about Homestead.
“For me, zero on Phoenix (Raceway)… all Homestead (Miami Speedway),” he said. “Yeah, I mean obviously your mind thinks about Phoenix a little bit, but I haven’t watched any film. I haven’t looked at any data or anything like that. I love this weekend. I love Homestead and just trying to watch as much video of this place as I could to get my mind ready to run the wall.”
One thing that has changed heading into the final races of the season for Larson is the actual amount of racing that Larson does away from NASCAR. It isn’t unusual for Larson to be jetting across the country racing all manner of cars from sprint to late model and everything in between during the week. Larson, however, has severely curtailed his schedule when it comes to races outside NASCAR.
But not because he’s focusing on the NASCAR championship.
“I mean I’d be racing if there were races to run,” Larson said chuckling. “It’s not that I cut it back because I want to focus on this. It’s more that there’s no more mid-week racing left. I’m not going to race in Texas last night and then come to Homestead and be in the media center at 8 a.m. the next day (laughs).
“Yeah, I just can’t race. It’s been a busy week. I tested the late model on Monday. And then we’ve been in Oklahoma Wednesday and Thursday, and then flew here yesterday. Owen (his son) was there racing. I think next week is fairly calm for me, and then it’s Phoenix and my racing picks back up after that.
“It’s not that I’m cutting back because I need to. I’m cutting back because I don’t have the opportunity to go race.”
Larson will roll of fifth at Homestead Sunday.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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