NASCAR CUP SERIES
PLAYOFF MEDIA DAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 31, 2021
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:
THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions for Kyle Larson.
Q. Obviously you’ve had an extremely successful season, beginning in Las Vegas. What people may not know about you is you’ve also had a ton of success outside of NASCAR. How has that translated and helped you win on vastly different road courses, Sonoma, Watkins Glen? How do you think that’s going to help you in the Playoffs?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, if you’re speaking of the dirt track stuff, it’s been a good season all around in everything that I’ve done. I think I’ve won, like, 24 races to this point in the year. Yeah, I think just being in position as often as I’ve been helps kind of the mindset of staying calm and things like that on Sundays for Cup races, too.
Yeah, it’s been great. I love racing and staying busy. It slows down a little bit this time of year just because of schedule stuff. I look forward to running more dirt races, staying sharp for the Playoffs.
Q. You’re not one often to brag or have an attitude about yourself. But you are the favorite. You will be the target just about every time you drive, including the Cup Series Playoff. Do you like that position?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know, I mean, it means you’re in a fast race car and you’re doing a good job, so it’s good. I mean, it’s not like everybody’s gunning for you and you have a target on your back or anything like that. It’s just a cool spot to be in.
It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point. Now we’ve got a great opportunity to go chase a championship. We’ve been doing a great job doing what we’ve been doing. We just got to continue that and execute well. Hopefully it will all kind of take care of itself.
Q. Where do things stand with Christopher Bell and if you have any plans on smoothing things over before things get started here?
KYLE LARSON: I mean, it’s been a long time since that. I don’t know why we’re still really talking about it.
Yeah, I’m looking forward to the Playoffs. I know he is, too. He’s got a great car. I’ve got a great car. Both of us’s best opportunity to go chase a championship.
Q. You don’t want to peak too early. Do you feel there’s still more you can gain, anything you’re looking to improve upon going into the Playoffs so you can still gain on the field or further separate yourself from the field?
KYLE LARSON: Sure, I mean, I don’t know. I hope we haven’t peaked yet. We won a race a few weeks ago. Yeah, I think we’re still capable of winning more races throughout the rest of the year and continuing to get better. I think all the race teams get better each and every week. We’re one of those teams that’s done that, too.
It’s hard to predict. It’s been fun. We’ve been able to win a lot of races. Even when we weren’t winning, we were still up front. That’s what you’ve got to do here in these next 10 weeks.
Q. When you think about a year ago, you weren’t racing in the Cup Series, everything you had to endure, what do you think about the last year, where you are now versus where you were a year ago?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, I feel like I’m a much more mature person on and off the racetrack, behind the wheel, not behind the wheel. I think through all the experience of growing up made me ultimately just better all around.
Speaking of just racing, I think getting to race as much as I did last year and contend — I raced 96 times, something like that, and won 46. Probably was in position to chase a win in 80 races or more.
I think putting yourself in position like that, it makes me a much mentally stronger driver these days, much more experienced driver. Yeah, it’s definitely been a crazy couple years, but thankful that I’m in the opportunity I’m in now.
Q. Let’s talk about Bristol being part of the Playoffs. More importantly, that track being the cutoff race. How aggressive do you think that race could become?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, Bristol’s Bristol. It’s always really aggressive. Hopefully I’m not anywhere near the cutoff or whatever in points. But, yeah, it can get aggressive. You can use the bumper there a little bit in traffic and things. That track is just so difficult anyways, it’s a lot of fun.
I’m so looking forward to getting to Bristol. I love that place. I’ve been close to winning some races there. I’ve led a bunch of laps there. Would love to get my first win at Bristol.
Q. You’ve been in the Playoffs a number of times in the past. Now this year obviously circumstances are so much different. You’re at the top of the board. How do you compare your approach going into the Playoffs this year as in the past?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I’m not sure. I don’t know. I don’t really remember. I don’t remember my thoughts or feelings or my approach from when I was in the Playoffs last and stuff.
Yeah, I don’t know. I feel like I’ve been in a good kind of mindset leading up to the Playoffs, just trying to rack up as many points as you can for these last few months. I feel like that’s the kind of mindset you need to have for the Playoffs, too.
Still got to go out there and chase as many points as you can throughout the race. Obviously, you want to win the races. If you can’t, you don’t want to leave any points out on the table. That’s kind of where my head’s at right now. I think you can kind of go through each round with that mindset.
Q. With all the racing that you’re doing in the Cup Series and also on dirt tracks, do you ever worry about burnout, how much racing is too much racing?
KYLE LARSON: No, no, I don’t. No, this is what I do for a living. I want to be the best race car driver I can be. The only way to do that is to race, race a lot. No, I don’t worry about burnouts.
Like this year, I mean, during the two-week break I took a week to go on vacation. That was a good little recharge to get me back excited about powering through the rest of the year.
I think when you stay as busy as I do, you just get used to it. When I’m not racing during the week, when I have a week where I don’t race a dirt race, like, it feels forever until I race again. I like staying busy.
Q. You’re one of the five NASCAR Next graduates who are in this Playoff field. How do you feel that you and your peers from the program are battling for the championship?
KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I look back on that little era of drivers that I raced with in 2012 in the K&N East Series, look at how many of us are in the Cup Series now. It’s really cool.
So, yeah, it’s just neat to be a part of that, be one of the guys that they noticed early on that we had potential. Now we’re here chasing championships and stuff. Chase was able to win the championship last year. Blaney has won these last two races. It’s cool.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Kyle.
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