Kyle Larson may be a multi-discipline driver, but there's one thing that has honed his skill behind the wheel: dirt racing.

During a recent interview on the SPEED with Harvick and Buxton podcast, Larson revealed how his side hustle for racing sprint cars gives him a tactical advantage in the Cup series. He had a simple reason for the midweek racing he does outside the Cup series: "I do it for fun, you know."

"I love going back and racing sprint cars; they're the most fun vehicles to drive. And then, yeah, the competitive aspect of it—you know, racing situations, being in cars that are violent and crazy and fast. I think it helps slow things down when I get back in a Cup car," he further explained.

Annually, he takes up over 20 dirt races across the whole calendar just to keep up with everything. But there's a deeper reason. Growing up, dirt racing was a crucial part of his career trajectory. Larson grew up racing Outlaw Karts since he was 7. That was part of the reason that he became an American motorsports folk hero.

Most importantly, his dirt racing habit keeps him in a constant winning mindset.

"Typically, you know, I feel like I'm contending for wins in that—when I race dirt stuff—so I think when you're putting yourself in winning scenarios, that helps when you're in a scenario to line up on a late-race restart in the Cup Series too."

How Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon Supported Larson’s Passion for Dirt Racing

Kyle's passion for dirt racing is deeper than it sounds. One major condition he proposed was to be allowed to keep on doing dirt races. Despite it not being an ideal request, especially given the risk Dirt races carry, Rick Hendrick saw the value in Larson's passion and accepted it.

Clearly, Rick's trust in Larson has paid off ever since. But the most interesting part is how Kyle shares his love for dirt racing with his childhood idol and vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon.

And Gordon perfectly summarized Larson's love for motorsports. "Kyle Larson was born to race. And I love what Kyle Larson represents. He didn't get there because he had money. He did it on pure talent."

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Sanskriti Pastor

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar