Don’t tell that
to Kyle Larson.
The Sacramento,
California, native has exploded onto the Sprint Cup scene in 2014, putting
together the kind of consistent, quality performances most first-year drivers
only dream of. After chasing championship leader Joey Logano to the finish line
at Kansas Speedway Sunday, the Target Chevrolet driver now has a total of eight
Top-5 finishes in 2014; eighth-best in all of Sprint Cup.
Pit road
observers no longer wonder whether Larson will win a race before season’s end.
It’s now a question of when. And where.
“Another second,”
said a beaming Larson Sunday. “Can’t be too disappointed with that. The
wins will be coming, so I just have to be patient. Every time I am in the top
three, it’s just going to make the wins feel that much better. We have been
really fast lately, so hopefully, we can start clicking off some wins.
Larson came to NASCAR with impeccable credentials. He dominated the Open Wheel ranks, winning the 2011 USAC Four-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway by becoming only the second driver ever to sweep all three features – Silver Crown, Sprint Cars and Midgets – in the same night. In 2012, he turned his attention to stock cars, winning the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship in his rookie season, while also claiming six USAC National Midget checkered flags, including the prestigious Turkey Night Grand Prix. He was last year’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year, before being named to replace Juan Pablo Montoya at the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
Larson chased Logano home Sunday |
Those concerns now seem
almost comical. With finishes of third, second, sixth and second in the four Chase
races so far, Larson can be forgiven for wondering, “what if?”
“I know we’d be
in the (Contender) round with the finishes we’ve had,” he said. “It’s a little disappointing,
seeing how well we’ve been running, but not be in the Chase. The only thing
we’re racing for right now is wins. We’re not just out there being
field-fillers, we’re out there racing.”
While conscious
of not ruining anyone’s championship bid, Larson said he is determined to race
the Chase contenders aggressively.
“We’re
obviously not going to do anything stupid to affect them,” he said, “(but) they’ve
got to understand we’re not going to back down just because they’re in the
Chase.”
Larson’s
performances are not going unnoticed in the Sprint Cup garage. Four-time series
champion Jeff Gordon sang his praises last week, saying, “I’ve had my eye on
him for a long time and he’s the real deal.
“Throughout the
years, we’ve seen young guys come along who can separate themselves from others
and do exciting things that make people want to watch,” said Gordon. “I’ve
heard a lot of people say that about me over the years, and now I get it. I see
what he’s doing and how people are reacting to it.”
Larson,
meanwhile, remains focused on the job at hand, determined to visit Victory Lane
-- at least once -- before the 2014 campaign is complete.
“I know other
teams in the Chase notice (what we’re doing),” he said, “and I’m sure they’re
worried about us for next season already.”
Right now he's only a babe among men with lots of talent and marketability. Reminds me of "The Kid," some greenpea named Gordon you might have heard about 20 years ago or so. Nascar needs new "Young Guns" to replace some aging superstars. I just hope, for everyone's sake he doesn't, as often happens, turn into a jerk.
ReplyDeleteWait, he had critics?
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