Kyle Larson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kyle Larson |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024
|
|||||||
| Born | Kyle Miyata Larson July 31, 1992 Elk Grove, California, U.S. |
||||||
| Achievements | 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Champion 2019, 2021, 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race Winner 2021 Coca-Cola 600 Winner 2022 Daytona 500 Pole Winner 2023 Southern 500 Winner 2024 Brickyard 400 Winner 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona Overall Winner 2012, 2016, 2019, 2023 Turkey Night Grand Prix Winner 2019, 2023 Hangtown 100 Winner 2020, 2022, 2023 Brad Doty Classic Winner 2020 Hoosier Hundred Winner 2020, 2021, 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals Winner 2021 Prairie Dirt Classic Winner 2021 37th Kings Royal Winner 2021 BC39 Winner 2021, 2023, 2024 Knoxville Nationals Winner 2022 Hillbilly 100 Winner |
||||||
| Awards | 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year 2022 ESPY Awards Best Driver Named as one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year |
||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 365 races run over 12 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 5 (Hendrick Motorsports) | ||||||
| 2024 position | 6th | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2021) | ||||||
| First race | 2013 Bank of America 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 2016 Pure Michigan 400 (Michigan) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 Bank of America Roval 400 (Charlotte Roval) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 116 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| 2023 position | 75th | ||||||
| Best finish | 8th (2013) | ||||||
| First race | 2013 DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 The Loop 110 (Chicago) | ||||||
| First win | 2014 Treatmyclot.com 300 (Fontana) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 Focused Health 250 (COTA) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 15 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| 2023 position | 86th | ||||||
| Best finish | 35th (2012) | ||||||
| First race | 2012 UNOH 225 (Kentucky) | ||||||
| Last race | 2023 Tyson 250 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
| First win | 2013 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (Rockingham) | ||||||
| Last win | 2023 Tyson 250 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 36th (2024) | ||||||
| First race | 2024 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Statistics current as of November 10, 2024. | |||||||
Kyle Miyata Larson (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional racing driver. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports.
Before and during his stock car racing career, Kyle has been super successful in dirt track racing. He has won many big events like the Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals, and the Chili Bowl Nationals. He has also raced in other types of racing, including sportscar racing. He even won the famous 24 Hours of Daytona race in 2015. In 2023, Kyle was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.
Contents
Kyle Larson's Racing Journey
Starting Out in Racing
Kyle Larson was born on July 31, 1992, in Elk Grove, California. He went to his first race when he was just one week old! He started racing at age seven in small "outlaw karts" in Northern California.
As a teenager, Kyle raced open-wheel cars. These included United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, Silver Crown, and sprint cars. A USAC official gave him the nickname "Yung Money" because he was so talented. Kyle won the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway. He was only the second driver ever to win in all three types of USAC cars in one night. He also won two Silver Crown races that year and was named the 2011 Rookie of the Year.
Racing Stock Cars
Early NASCAR Races
In 2012, Kyle joined Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR) to develop his skills. He won his first stock car race in February 2012 at New Smyrna Speedway.
Kyle raced full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2012 with Rev Racing. He won his first K&N Pro Series East race on June 9, 2012, at Gresham Motorsports Park. He won another race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
On November 3, 2012, Kyle won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship. He had 2 wins and 12 top-10 finishes in 14 races. He also earned the K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year award. In 2014, Kyle got his first ARCA win at Pocono Raceway.
Truck Series Victories
Kyle made his Camping World Truck Series debut on June 28, 2012, at Kentucky Speedway. He finished 10th in that race.
On April 14, 2013, Kyle won his first Truck Series race at Rockingham Speedway. It was a very close finish! After winning, Kyle did some cool donuts without his steering wheel. NASCAR asked him to keep it attached for safety reasons.
In 2016, Kyle won his second Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway. In 2023, he earned his third Truck Series win at North Wilkesboro.
Xfinity Series Highlights
In 2013, Kyle raced full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series). In the first race at Daytona, he was in a big crash but was not hurt. He finished second in the season finale at Homestead. Kyle won the Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year award. He was the first Asian-American and first Drive for Diversity participant to win a Rookie of the Year award in a major NASCAR series.
In 2014, Kyle won his first Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway. He celebrated again by doing burnouts without his steering wheel. He said, "Those last 11, 12 laps were the longest laps of my life." He also won at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kyle continued to race part-time in the Xfinity Series. In 2015, he won the season finale at Homestead. In 2016, he won two more races at Pocono and Texas.
In 2022, Kyle won his 13th Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen. In 2023, he won at Darlington with a last-lap pass. In 2024, Kyle won at the Circuit of the Americas.
NASCAR Cup Series Debut
In 2013, it was announced that Kyle would drive the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing starting in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. He made his first Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 51 car to get ready for his rookie season.
Rookie Season in Cup Series (2014)
Kyle started his first full Cup Series season in the 2014 Daytona 500. He finished second at Auto Club Speedway, which was his best Cup Series finish at the time.
At Richmond Raceway, he earned the pole position (starting first) because qualifying was rained out and he was fastest in practice. At Pocono Raceway, Kyle earned his first Cup Series pole and set a new track record. He was named the 2014 Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year.
First Cup Series Win (2016)
Kyle started the 2016 season with a seventh-place finish at the 2016 Daytona 500. On May 21, 2016, he won the Sprint Showdown to get into the All-Star Race.
On August 28, Kyle won his first ever Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan. This win qualified him for the Chase (the playoffs) for the first time.
Winning Big in 2017
At the 2017 Daytona 500, Kyle was leading on the final lap but ran out of fuel and finished 12th. After three second-place finishes, he moved to first in the points standings. Kyle won his second career Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway. He then won his second race of the season at Michigan.
Kyle won his third straight Michigan race at the 2017 Pure Michigan 400. He scored his fourth win of the season at Richmond. Kyle made it to the Round of 12 in the playoffs.
Consistent Performance in 2018
Even though Kyle didn't win any races in 2018, he was very consistent. He had five second-place finishes, eight top-5s, and 13 top-10s. He made it to the Playoffs. He finished the season ninth in points, which was the highest for a driver without a win that year.
A Win in 2019
Before the 2019 season, Kyle lost his main sponsor. On May 18, he won the Monster Energy Open to get into the All-Star Race. He then won the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, becoming one of only a few drivers to win both events.
After finishing second at Darlington, Kyle secured his spot in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. At Dover, Kyle won his first race of the season, ending a 75-race winless streak. He finished the season sixth in the points standings, which was his best result so far.
A Break and a Return (2020-2021)
In 2020, Kyle had a period away from NASCAR. On October 28, 2020, Hendrick Motorsports signed Kyle to drive the No. 5 car starting in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team allowed him to continue racing dirt races, as long as his main focus was the Cup Series.
Kyle started his 2021 season with a 10th-place finish at the 2021 Daytona 500. At Las Vegas, he won his first race with Hendrick Motorsports.
On May 30, Kyle won the Coca-Cola 600. This win was also the 269th Cup victory for Hendrick Motorsports, making them the team with the most Cup wins in NASCAR history. A week later, Kyle won his first road course race at Sonoma. On June 13, Kyle won the 2021 NASCAR All-Star Race again. He won his third straight race at Nashville.
At Watkins Glen, Kyle won his fifth race of the 2021 season. He then clinched the regular season championship. At the Bristol night race, Kyle won his sixth race of the season. At Charlotte Roval, Kyle won his seventh race of the season. He was the first driver to win three different road courses in the same season.
In the playoffs, Kyle won his eighth race of the season at Texas. A week later at Kansas, he won his ninth race.
In the season finale at Phoenix, Kyle started first and led many laps to win his 10th race of the season and his first NASCAR Cup Series championship! He was the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to have 10 wins and a championship in the same season.
Continued Success (2022-2024)
Kyle started the 2022 season by winning the pole position at the 2022 Daytona 500. He won his first race of the season at Auto Club Speedway. At Watkins Glen, Kyle won his second straight race there. In September 2022, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Kyle had signed a new contract to stay with the team until 2026. He finished the 2022 season seventh in the points standings.
In 2023, Kyle won his 20th career Cup Series race at Richmond. Two weeks later, he won at Martinsville. At the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race, Kyle won his third All-Star race, tying legends like Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. He is the only driver to win the All-Star race at three different tracks.
At Darlington, Kyle won his first Southern 500 race. A month later, he won at Las Vegas to make it to the Championship 4. He finished the 2023 season second in the points standings.
In the 2024 season, Kyle won at Las Vegas. At the Kansas spring race, Kyle won by just 0.001 seconds over Chris Buescher. This was the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history!
Dirt Track Racing
Kyle Larson has his own World of Outlaws sprint car team. He drives for his own team (midgets) and Paul Silva (winged sprint car) sometimes.
On January 18, 2020, Kyle won his first Chili Bowl Nationals. In June 2020, Kyle won all six races in the USAC Indiana Midget Week championship. He continued to win nine straight sprint car races. Kyle won the Pennsylvania Speedweek title with four wins. He was named the 410 Sprint Car Driver of the Year for 2020.
Kyle also started racing dirt late model cars. He won in his second dirt late model race. On January 16, 2021, Kyle won his second Chili Bowl Nationals in a row. He also won the BC39 race on the dirt track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle has won the Knoxville Nationals three times (2021, 2023, and 2024). On January 18, 2025, Kyle won his third Chili Bowl Nationals.
Indy Car Racing
On January 12, 2023, it was announced that Kyle would try to race in the 2024 Indianapolis 500 with Arrow McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports. He started fifth in the Indy 500. He finished 18th after getting a penalty for speeding on pit lane. Kyle was named the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. He plans to return for the 2025 Indianapolis 500.
Other Racing Adventures
On January 4, 2014, Kyle raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing. He said it was amazing to work with drivers from different racing series.
Kyle returned to the 2015 event and his team won the race! He also raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona again.
Kyle in Movies
Kyle Larson had a small role as a limo driver in the 2017 movie Logan Lucky.
About Kyle's Family Life
.jpg)
Kyle's mother is Japanese American. Kyle is married to Katelyn Sweet, who is the sister of former World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver Brad Sweet.
Kyle and Katelyn have three children. Their first child, Owen Miyata Larson, was born on December 22, 2014. Their second child, Audrey Layne Larson, was born in 2018. Their third child, Cooper Donald Larson, was born on December 31, 2022. Kyle and Katelyn got married on September 26, 2018.
Images for kids
-
Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024
-
Larson racing a USAC midget in 2012
-
Larson's 2012 K&N Pro Series East Championship car
-
Larson's race-winning No. 30 truck at Rockingham in 2013
-
Larson during his Nationwide Series rookie season in 2013
-
Larson's Nationwide Series car at Road America in 2013
-
Larson's Cup Series car at Sonoma Raceway in 2014
-
Larson's No. 42 car at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2015
-
Larson celebrating after scoring his first career Cup Series win at the 2016 Pure Michigan 400
-
Larson and Chase Elliott battle for the lead during the 2017 FireKeepers Casino 400
-
Larson waving the checkered flag in the air after winning the 2017 Federated Auto Parts 400
-
Larson at Pocono Raceway in 2018
-
Larson during the Fanzone at Daytona International Speedway on July 5, 2019
-
Larson's race-winning car during the 2021 Toyota/Save Mart 350
-
Larson's No. 5 car at Sonoma Raceway in 2022
-
Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2023
-
Larson and his son Owen in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Kyle Larson para niños
