NASCAR CUP SERIES
LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM
BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM
MEDIA AVAILABILITY QUOTES
FEBRUARY 3, 2024
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. Media Availability Quotes:
TALK ABOUT THE SHIFT OF RUNNING THE RACE TONIGHT VS. TOMORROW…
“It’s great that we get to race. I’m sure NASCAR is taking a huge hit on money being made or whatever now, but at least we get to get the event in and all that. I was not expecting to run any more than a heat race tonight.”
WITH THE MARKET HERE BEING VERY IMPORTANT, AND POSSIBLY EXPANDING, WHAT DO YOU FEEL THE IMPACT WILL BE?
“I haven’t really thought about the impact moving it up like that, but I love racing here. I love this venue, and I love being a part of it and seeing what NASCAR is able to do. I don’t know. I don’t know what their future plans are. If they were to move it, I think they’ve proven that it works, so maybe you can take this style of event somewhere else. I haven’t really thought about it that much. I’m just excited to race.”
DOES IT CHANGED YOUR MINDSET AT ALL HAVING TO RACE A DAY EARLY?
“You’ve got to get focused, right? I don’t think anyone thought we’d go racing, or that we’re going to be racing four hours from now. I think you’ve got to try and calm down, get focused, and the team as well. You’ve really only got one shot to get your car right. The way the schedule was before, you could make adjustments going into tomorrow, but now you can’t. Hopefully our team is prepared with a great racecar, and we can go out there and qualifying well, and get a shot to win.”
DO YOU LIKE THE PROSPECT OF THE RAPID-FIRE RACING LIKE THIS?
“Well, I come from dirt racing (laughs), so our programs go pretty quickly. When you’re not used to it on the pavement side of things, it feels like a massive rush. I’m sure once we get in the car for practice, it’s going to feel pretty crazy until we get to the race. I think once you get to the race, that’s when you can finally be able to take a deep breath and collect yourself a bit. I just applaud NASCAR for making the decision and doing it. As I mentioned earlier, I’m sure they are taking a huge hit financially because today was free to the public. It’s just nice to see them make a big move like that.”
DO YOU THINK THIS TRACK IS CONDUSCIVE TO RUNNING RAIN TIRES?
“I think so. With the experience that we’ve had now and the few wet races we’ve run in NASCAR, I think it’s been fine. We’re not going very fast here, so I think it would be okay.”
WITH THE SHIFT TO RACING TONIGHT, AND TRACK POSITION BEING KEY, HOW BIG WOULD IT BE TO START THE YEAR WITH A WIN HERE?
“I think it would be great. We’ve been in the top-five both of these years, but you want to improve on that. I haven’t been on the track yet, so I don’t know how my car will be. But like you said, it is hard to pass here. You’ve got to get kind of lucky to work your way forward with restarts and stuff. But if your car is good, you can make moves for sure.”
YOU’RE THREE MONTHS AWAY FROM ATTEMPTING THE DOUBLE – THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 AND THE COCA-COLA 600. AS IT GETS CLOSER MONTH BY MONTH, HOW WILL YOU SPLIT YOUR TIME PREPARING WHILE BALANCING YOUR CURRENT SCHEDULE?
“I’ve got a couple of tests coming up here if the rainstorm doesn’t hit too hard. I’m supposed to test Tuesday in Phoenix, and I think there is an open test in April. I would say once April rolls around, I’d say that’s when it’ll get hot and heavy on prep work. I’m so used to being busy, so I don’t think it’s really going to feel way different for me. Just more studying and stuff behind the screen of a computer. It should be okay, I think. Our Cup team, hopefully, will be in a good spot where we’re fast and all of that. You’re not stressing about that as much as you need to, but I want to do a good job, so it’s definitely going to take a lot of focus on the INDYCAR side to do a good job. I’m confident that I’m going to get all of the data and information to study with, and all of these extra laps will help me come the month of May and will help it all go smooth.”
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