FANTASY NASCAR Racin

a Japanese-American professional stock car driver. Larson attended his first race with his parents a week after his birth; he began racing at the age of seven in outlaw karts in Northern California. As a teenager he raced open-wheel cars, including United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, Silver Crown and sprint cars, competing for Keith Kunz Motorsports and Hoffman Racing with Toyota backing; he also raced in World of Outlaws sprint cars. His first sprint car race win was at Placerville Speedway, where he was one of the youngest drivers to ever compete. He won the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, winning in all three types of USAC cars in a single night, only the second driver in history to accomplish the feat. Although he expressed an interest in IndyCar racing, Larson was signed for the 2012 racing season by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR) as part of the team's driver development program. In February 2012, at the Pete Orr Memorial Orange Blossom 100 at New Smyrna Speedway, Larson made his first start in a full-bodied stock car,

and won the event, leading only the final lap of the race. He won again at the speedway a week later during the World Series of Asphalt. As part of EGR's development program, Larson competed for Revolution Racing in the NASCAR-sanctioned K&N Pro Series East, a regional touring and feeder series, for the 2012 season; he scored a top ten finish in his first race in the series, won the pole for the fifth race of the year, and in the sixth race of the fourteen-race season went to victory lane at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia, leading the final five laps of the race to score his first NASCAR win. He also made his debut in the ARCA Racing Series at Michigan International Speedway. Larson won in the ARCA series at Pocono in 2014. In late June 2012, Larson made his debut in NASCAR's national touring series, driving the #4 for Turner

Motorsports in the Truck Series event at Kentucky Speedway; he finished in the top ten in his first race in the series. In April 2013, Larson won his first Truck race at Rockingham Speedway wheeling his #30 to a close finish with Joey Logano; in celebration, Larson performed donuts without his steering wheel on, a practice he had acquired when racing go karts; the celebration prompted NASCAR to request him to keep it attached, regarding safety concerns, as Larson would not have much control of the car without the wheel. He later finished second at Eldora Speedway in the inaugural Mudsummer Classic. For 2013, Larson moved full-time to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving the No. 32 for Turner Scott Motorsports. On the last lap of the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway, he was involved in a violent crash, in which his car went airborne and pierced the catch fence, completely ripping the front end of his car off. He was unharmed, but the debris hurt a number of spectators in the stands. At Homestead, Larson almost won his first NNS race in the Ford EcoBoost 300. Leading the race on old tires with 4 laps to go, Larson was passed with two laps to go by Brad Keselowski. On August 27,

2013, The Charlotte Observer reported that Larson would drive the #42 for Chip Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, replacing Juan Pablo Montoya, starting in 2014; the deal was officially announced on August 30, 2013. On October 1 it was announced that Larson would run in two 2013 Cup races for Phoenix Racing, at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Martinsville, to prepare for his rookie season. Larson started 21st, and finished 37th in his Cup debut at the Bank of America 500 after an engine failure on lap 247. On March 22, 2014, Larson won the Treatmyclot.com 300, holding off Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick for the win. On May 24, Larson won his second NNS race at Charlotte edging Brad Keselowski for the History 300 win. He only ran 28 of the series 33 races as he had starting racing full time in the NASCAR CUP series. He showed lots of promise in his first season of CUP as he finished second in the fifth race of the year, and had

accumulated five top 10 finishes in the seasons first ten races. He added another second place finish at Loudon NH later in the year. For the season he had eight top 5 finishes and 17 top 10's. In 2015, Larson won the season-ending Xfinity Series race in Homestead-Miami in November, bringing home the first win for HScott Motorsports, holding off Austin Dillon. Larson had controlled the early portions of the race and took advantage of pit strategies to catch up to race leader Dillon with 4 laps to go and pass him for the win. He had a poor showing on the CUP series side as he was only able to muster two top five finishes. Larson again only drove in the Xfinity series part time in 2016; but did visit victory lane twice. Larson started out his 2016 CUP season with a 7th place outing at Daytona, marking his first top 10 at Daytona and his first non-DNF at Daytona. Larson

finally broke through to win his first race in the Michigan 400 on August 28 driving the Target sponsored car owned by Chip Ganassi. The following week he finished third in the Southern 500 and the next week added a second at Richmond. He would qualify for the Chase portion of the season and eventually finish ninth in points. For the year he had ten top 5 finishes and 15 top 10's. The future looked bright for Larson as the 2017 season rolled around. He remained with CGR with his team mate Jamie McMurray. Larson ran well in the season opening race at Daytona; but only managed a 12th place finish. However he went on a tear the next few weeks as he finished second at Atlanta; Las Vegas and Phoenix before breaking through to win at Texas. He would win three additional times before the Chase starts; and it was assumed that he

would easily advance to the final race at Homestead for the Championship. However a blown motor causing a 39th place finish at Kansas put him out of the Chase. The season then spiraled downward as he would crash the next two races; finishing 37th in each and blown another motor the next one finishing last. No one was more happy to see the 2017 season come to an end. He did manage to finish third in the season ending race at Homestead. Things remain status quo in 2018 as he stayed at Ganassi Racing and he was competitive; but never able to make it to victory lane. He had six second place finishes along with twelve Top 5's. He made it into the Chase via points. He posted three finishes inside the top twelve during the second round of the Chase; but that wasn't enough points to advance any further forward. He wrapped up the season

in ninth place. He did have a successful season in the Xfinity Series. He made only six starts but managed to park in victory circle on four occasions. after Larson had went win less in 2018; and it was hoped the addition of Kurt Busch as his new team mate would give this team a boost. Before the start of the 2019 season, Larson lost his primary sponsor DC Solar, whose headquarters had been raided by the FBI; leaving his team scrambling for sponsors for 2019. McDonalds and Clover stepped in to help fill the void. Larson finished seventh in the season opening Daytona 500; and the following week he led over 100 laps

at Atlanta before being tagged for speeding on pit road; sending him to the back of the field and finished 12th. The team posted finishes mostly in the high teens for the first half of the season, but as the season wore on, it appeared Busch's knowledge and experience was having an impact; as Larson's finishes had a noticeable improvement. Starting with the 21st race of the season in Pocono Larson would finish fifth. He added four more Top 10 finishes the next four races; including a second at Darlington. He managed to make the Chase via points and ran well when it kicked off. Finishes of eighth; sixth and 13th moved him into round two when he broke through at Dover and got a

win; breaking a 75 race win less streak. It moved him into round three where he posted good finishes (9th; 12th; 4th) but even those finishes weren't good enough to push him into the final round to race for the Championship at Miami. He ran a great race there as he finished in the top three in both the first and second stage. But it all came unglued when the motor puked out a stream of smoke and he was done for the day. Even though he ran 209 laps; he was the first car out and finished last. For the season he finished sixth in points and had one win and eight Top 5 finishes. Due to the mass pandemic Covid-19 only four races into the 2020 season; TV went to airing live online car racing. In an online race, Kyle joking called his spotter the "N" word. Everyone got all up in arms and demanded some

sort of action. Real life car owner Chip Ganassi suspended Larson "indefinitely"; which NASCAR also did. It was suspected as soon as "real" racing resumed that the suspension would be lifted, and we'd all go back to racing. However; Larson's sponsors like Capital One; McDonalds; etc and car maker Chevrolet stated they would not continue to be associated with Ganassi Racing as long as Larson was the driver. Thus, CGR was forced to fire Larson and he was replaced for the rest of the season by Matt Kenseth. On October Rick Hendrick hired Larson to drive the #5 for the 2021 season. Cliff Daniels will be the crew chief. As of November 20th, 2020; Larson still had no

sponsors. After all the turmoil of the 2020 season, Larson had a great 2021 season. Many sponsors still were not welcoming Larson with open arms; so, most weeks Larson had one of Hendricks companies on his car. Much of the year Larson drove a throw-back paint scheme of Rick Hendricks son Ricky (who was killed in a Hendrick team plane crash in 2004. It didn’t take long before Larson was in victory lane. He won at Las Vegas. Then after finishing second back to back at Darlington, Dover, and COTA he grabbed his second win at Charlotte in the Coke 600; and then won the next two weeks at Sonoma and Nashville. So, he had four wins before the season was half way over. He won again at Watkins Glen had a strong finish to win the regular season championship. Once the Chase kicked

off, Larson won at Bristol. He grabbed the win at Charlotte welcoming Larson with open arms; so, most weeks Larson had one of Hendricks companies on his car. Much of the year Larson drove a throw-back paint scheme of Rick Hendricks son Ricky (who was killed in a Hendrick team plane crash in 2004. It didn’t take long before Larson was in victory lane. He won at Las Vegas. Then after finishing second back to back at Darlington, Dover, and COTA he grabbed his second win at Charlotte in the Coke 600; and then won the next two weeks at Sonoma and Nashville. So, he had four wins before the season was half way over. He won again at Watkins Glen had a strong finish to win the regular season championship. Once the Chase kicked

off’ Larson won at Bristol. He grabbed the win at Charlotte winning the pole for the Daytona 500. During the 500 race, Larson was involved in a late race incident on lap 192 and finished 32nd. He bounced back the next week and won at Fontana; claiming his 17th career win. He was up and down the entire season. He'd crash out or have mechanical failure and finish near last; or run well and be inside the top 10. He put his road racing skills to use at Watkins Glen as he won the race there. It was controversial however, as on the final restart he was inside team mate Chase Elliott who was driving away to the win until the late race yellow. On the restart, Larson used Elliott up, and run

him clear out to the outside retaining wall to take the lead. As those behind him tussled to regain control; Larson drove away to the win. In the Chase, Larson was eliminated before the round of eight. He did go on to win at Homestead for his third win of the year. He ended up seventh in the season points. For the year he had three wins, 13 Top 5 and 19 Top 10 finishes. He also ran three races in the Xfinity Series. Larson started on the pole at Road America at Elkhart Lake and finished second. He won at Watkins Glen, and posted a fifth place finish at Darlington. 2023 saw Larson have a great season, winning

in all three of NASCAR top divisions. In the Cup series he got in a big crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500 and finished 18th. He almost pulled off the win at Las Vegas when he finished second behind team-mate William Byron. Larson got his first win at Richmond, crashed out at Bristol, and then won again at Martinsville. When the All Star race rolled around he put a whipping on the field. He led 145 of 150 laps. He finished second again at Kansas. When the playoffs started he showed his muscle by leading 55 laps in the Southern 500 to get the win and advance himself to the Round of 12. He squeaked through the Round of 12

with finishes of 31st, 15th and 13th. The first race in the Round of 8 saw Larson win again, and lock himself into the Championship race. At Phoenix he was competing again Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Christopher Bell. Bell had a mechanical issue and fell out, and when the checkers fell Blaney finished second and won the Championship. Larson finished third and Byron fourth. Larson also ran three races in the Xfinity series. His first start came at Darlington in the spring. He beat Justin Allgaier to the checkers. He was third at Sonoma. He made one start in the Truck series. It came at North Wilkesboro. He started eighth but it took him 102 laps to get to the point. After he did, he lead all but 13 of the remaining 148 laps. He beat

Ty Majeski by one second to claim the win. He will be back with HMS in 2024. At the end of 2023, the High Limit Sprint Car Series finalized the acquisition of the All Star Circuit of Champions. NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and four-time World of Outlaws Sprint Cars champion Brad Sweet will take over ownership of the regional series owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Eldora Speedway owner Tony Stewart. They are looking to make improvements to the series and pay out higher purses. Kyle Larson had a good season in the Cup cars in 2024. The big talk all season was that Larson

was going to "do the double"; racing in the Indy 500 during the day; and then flying to Charlotte to race in the Coke 600. Much anticipation was on that event. When the Cup season started, Larson ended with an 11th place finish in the Daytona 500. But, crashed the next race at Atlanta finishing 32nd. He rebounded nicely when he drove to victory lane at Las Vegas. He finished inside the top five three of the next five races; including a second at Martinsville. Three weeks later he was second again, this time at Dover, before parking it in victory lane at Kansas. Finally, the weekend of 'the double" arrived, and Mother Nature delayed the start of the Indy 500. The plan had always been for Larson to run as much as possible, and get out of his Indy car if weather was an issue. But Larson was showing that a Cup star could run with the best of the Indy car regulars. Larson qualified fifth and ran in the top six most all day. So plans changed and with Larson having a legitimate shot to win, it was decided Larson would finish the Indy 500; then fly to Charlotte and run what was

remaining of the race. As the race was nearing the end; Larson was caught speeding on pit road ruining his shot at a good finish. He ended up taking the checkered flag in 18th place. So everyone loaded up and headed to Charlotte. There, Justin Allgaier had started the car in Larson's spot and would drive until Larson arrived. Mother Nature also played games with the Cup race, as after 249 laps it started to rain, and a red flag was thrown to wait out the rain and dry the track. During this time, Larson arrived and got ready to get in the car. But a heavy steady mist hung around, preventing the track from drying, and the races was called official without Larson ever being able

to drive. When the Cup cars went to Sonoma, he would win after leading 19 laps. He won again at Indianapolis claiming one of NASCAR's crown jewel events. He finished fourth as the regular season closed at Darlington, and his team was always a contender to win. At Atlanta, as the play-offs started his car got loose and he hit the wall with the rearend. Chase Briscoe was coming behind at high speed, with no place to go, and plowed into Larson destroying both cars. At Watkins Glen, Larson wasn't ever in contention, nor did he lead a lap, finishing 12th. Going to Bristol his back was against the wall, needing a win to advance. He was unstoppable as he led 462 of 500 laps and lapped all but ten cars, beating Chase Elliott by almost

half a lap. In the Round of 12, Larson had much the same start as the previous round finishing 26th at Kansas. He survived the huge melee at Talladega to finish fourth. As the final race of the round came about Larson needed another great run to advance to the semi-final round. Once again, the team was sharp, and Larson was fast. He led 62 of 109 laps on the Roval to win yet again. The Round of 8 saw Larson start off with a 11th place finish at Las Vegas while Joey Logano grabbed the win. At Homestead Larson was 11th, as Tyler Reddick drove by Ryan Blaney on the final corner to win, and claim another spot in the play-offs. Going into Martinsville several drivers needed a win

to advance to the championship race; among them were Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin. Of the contenders, Elliott led 129 laps, but Blaney ran him down with just 15 laps to take the lead and get the win. So three different winners claimed spots into the championship race, and only one spots made it via points. That went to William Byron. In the final race at Phoenix Logano would win the race and the championship while Larson finished fourth. He had 35 starts since he missed the Coke 600 and completed 9052 of 9495 laps (95.3%). He led 1700 laps with an average finish of 12.9 Larson would make two starts in the Xfinity in the Hendrick "All Star" car. His first start was at COTA on the road course. Unapproved adjustment caused Larson to have to start from the rear and it took him the whole race to work his way through the field. A yellow right near the end caused the race to go to overtime. Austin Hill took the white flag in the lead; but Larson managed to find a way by before they got back to the line to claim the win. In his other start, Larson ran on the streets at Chicago. He led 12 laps before the half way point; but it was a battle between Jesse Love and Shane van Gisbergen for the win. SVG managed to get by Love on the final restart to lead the final three laps. Larson finished third. So far in his career Larson has ran 366 Cup Series races and posted 29 wins, along with 119 Top 5's and 182 Top 10's. Larson has won several crown jewel races. Those wins are: Coke 600 (2021); Southern 500 (2023); Brick Yard 400 (2024). Larson has won In the Xfinity Series he has 14 wins and 56 Top 5's in 114 starts. Over a seven year span he made limited starts in the Truck Series. He has 15 starts with three wins, eight top 5 and eleven Top 10 finishes. Some info from Wikipedia

Fantasy NASCAR Racing

KYLE MIYATA LARSON - 07/31/1992