NASCAR CUP SERIES
BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM
TEAM CHEVY TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 1, 2025
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media onsite at Bowman Gray Stadium ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session for the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray.
Media Availability Quotes:
Larson on the new rule that allows an elite driver in the field?
“Yeah, I don’t know.. I mean, obviously he’s (Denny Hamlin) from the ownership side, so he’s going to have a strong opinion one way or another, where I don’t really have an opinion on that. But regardless, I love to see drivers come out and try our series and our racecars. I feel like since we’ve gotten the Next Gen car out there, we’ve had multiple drivers each year from different backgrounds, countries and all that. I think that’s great for motorsports, not just NASCAR, but obviously it helps out NASCAR a lot. Yeah, rarely I feel like are you ever going to run into that 41st entry, aside from maybe the (Daytona) 500.”
You’ve had a really nice start to the 2025 season. Are you undefeated?
“No.. I lost two micro races at the Tulsa Shootout, and I lost the ‘Race of Champions’. I think I’m 50 percent, though (laughs).”
How do you feel heading into Daytona, one that you’ve not yet won but probably very much want to?
“Yeah, I don’t know.. I mean I think it doesn’t really, to me, matter how the beginning of my year kind of goes. To me, the Chili Bowl always feels like the end of the year.. end of the season. But yeah, I don’t know.. yes, it’s obviously a race that I would really like to win some day, but I try not to treat it any differently than any other race. I put the same amount of focus in as others. And I think as I’ve gained more experience, it doesn’t feel any bigger than the other races. I think, like I said, you just treat it the same and I think you go in with less.. not that I ever have nerves, but any anticipation of what might happen and stuff.
But yeah, I feel like we’ve improved a lot on superspeedways, as well. I feel like we’re contending throughout most parts of the race.. end of the stages, end of the races. It just hasn’t quite worked out, but I think if you can keep putting yourself into contention, it’ll work out someday.. hopefully. Yeah, we’ll keep trying our best and hopefully we can get that last crown jewel.”
How many races do you have on your schedule so far?
“Somewhere in the low 80s.
No mic..
“Honestly, that’s about normal. Every year, I get 85 to 90.”
So it’s down from normal?
“By a couple, maybe (laughs). But yeah, that’s still twice as many as anybody else.”
NASCAR decided not to change the playoffs for this year, but they said that they’re looking at possibly doing that next year. Do you care to give your input on that? Are you a part of the panel or anything? What would you like to see happen?
“I mean currently, I haven’t really put much thought into like – if I could recreate the format, what would I make it. I think there’s probably pros and cons to every format. It’s never going to quite please every single person that pays attention to our sport or is a part of the sport. I don’t know.. I think it could have some differences, though, but we’ll see. I would definitely like to be a part of that panel. I don’t know who is a part of that panel.. I’m assuming the driver council, which I’m not a part of. But yeah, I get into formats and stuff like that on the dirt side, so I think I would have fun trying to come up with something.”
What has the response been taking High Limit over to Australia? You see big picture motorsports, and I’m just kind of wondering what was the effect? Now that you’ve had a couple weeks off, you’ve had time to look back on that..
“Yeah, I thought it went amazing. I think the perception from fans and competitors across the world also thought it was amazing. You can’t do it without a great facility, too, and Perth Motorplex is – I mean you guys were there, it’s probably a top-three facility. Yeah, the crowd was awesome. There were fans from multiple different countries there. A lot of competitors. It had a lot of buzz, and I feel like already, there’s teams, drivers and fans talking about going next year that weren’t there this past year. So that’s great.. I think it’s great for Australia and sprint car racing, probably more than anything. But also for the High Limit brand, as well, and sprint car racing as a whole. It was great.”
Has it helped your entry list for Las Vegas, the kickoff for the real High Limit season?
“I don’t know.. I have zero idea if it helped. I doubt that it would help, you know, because it’s as far away from Las Vegas as you can get (laughs). But yeah, hopefully it just puts more eyes on the beginning of our season. I think that’s the most important thing… maybe more fans tuning in from Australia on Flo Racing and stuff like that.”
With the new manufacturer rule, are you clear on what racing will be allowed at Daytona and Talladega?
“I hadn’t really read anything about it or heard anything about it. I’m sure I’ll get caught up on all that as we get through this event. But right now, I don’t know anything about it.”
What would you like to see with the Clash moving forward? Would you like to see it rotating on more short-tracks? Do you want to see it go international? Where would you like to see it go?
“I think all of that. I think all of that would be cool. I think going to L.A. was great. I think that was huge for our sport. It was fun for all of us involved. I think coming to Bowman Gray is amazing, as well. You know, resurrecting.. I mean you’re not resurrecting this place, but you’re still tapping into your roots a lot coming to this event here. Yeah, I think spending two or three years at a place is great. But I do think the L.A. thing was great because it proved that they could take that model to different venues, so I would like to see us tap into that a lot. But also, going to Rockingham or something like that would be cool. You know, I think seeing the Cup Series back there, whether it be a points-paying race, the Clash or something, I think that would be neat.”
What are your thoughts on the state of the sport after a tumultuous playoffs, if you will, and a lot of conversation about the format, etc. As we go into 2025, how do you assess where NASCAR is at?
“Yeah, I’m not sure.. I hadn’t put much thought into any of that, as far as where the sport is at. I think there’s a lot of good going on in the sport, as well as there’s a lot of drama behind the scenes also, as I’m sure there is in every sport. So I don’t know.. drama sometimes is OK.. it got people talking about the sport. And if change comes from it, that’s good, too. I would say, overall, our sport is in a great spot. I think from what I’ve heard, TV ratings are continuing to climb. Fan attendance has been well. Our schedule is exciting. The racing is as close as it’s ever been. So there’s a lot of positives that probably outweigh, if you want to call them ‘negatives’ going on in the sport.”
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