Kyle Larson is one of the busiest NASCAR drivers. Away from his full-time duties for Hendrick Motorsports, he races extensively in the High Limit Racing Series, the World of Outlaws, and other dirt platforms. These indulgences have made his love for sprint car racing very apparent over the past several years. But would he prioritize it over NASCAR?

He mentioned in a recent interview with The Athletic that fans often get it wrong by assuming he would.

He said, “People back in the day used to get it wrong that I didn’t care about NASCAR. I still think people think, “Oh, I’m just doing this for the money, and if I had a choice, I’d be racing sprint cars all the time.”

“That really bugs me, because it isn’t about the money. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love it, you know? So I do love this. I wish fans would realize that,” the 32-year-old explained.

Larson has been racing full-time in the Cup Series since 2014. He is a Cup Series champion and is poised to become one of the greatest stock car racing drivers to have ever lived. Such achievements are not attainable without a strong love for the game.

One of the biggest reasons why he races dirt a lot is the practice that it offers for him to perform better in NASCAR. Especially with practice sessions before Cup Series races now limited, such extracurricular racing can help a lot.

So, it wouldn’t really be fair to claim that he would jump ship to sprint car racing if it offered him the same paycheck as NASCAR does. And yet, that’s exactly what the three-time Cup Series champion, Tony Stewart, did earlier this year.

Tony Stewart’s take on Larson’s NASCAR loyalty

Stewart is one of Larson’s mentors. They are quite similar in how they love racing outside NASCAR. It is with this position that Stewart said last month, “If the money was equal – and I’m not going to speak for Kyle (Larson) and Kyle and I have never had this conversation – but I feel very confident in this statement that if the money was equal, that Kyle Larson would be in a sprint car, not in a Cup car.”

That’s a bold claim. He had gone on to make the same statement about Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, avid dirt racers. He continued, “And like I’ve said, I’ve never had this conversation with any of those guys about it, but that’s my gut instinct, that’s what my gut tells me that if the money was equal, they’d be on dirt, they’d not be in NASCAR right now.”

The dirt racing series of today aren’t going to be able to compete with NASCAR on financial grounds any time soon. The only scenario in which these words can be tested is if NASCAR purchases one of the platforms like how it purchased the ARCA Series in 2018 and raises the purse sizes. Only then would we truly know whether Larson would stay in stock cars or switch to sprint cars.

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CONCORD, N.C. – Nothing like dressing up for a special occasion!

The NASCAR Cup Series will head to North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend for the All-Star Race, set for 8 p.m. on Sunday. It will mark the third year in a row the All-Star Race will call the 0.625-mile short track, home. 

The first time around, in 2023, Kyle Larson won in dominant fashion, a similar refrain of late. Larson is coming off a victory at Kansas Speedway last Sunday in which he led 221 of 267 laps in his third win of the year. 

All told, Larson has three wins in the All-Star Race all coming in the last six years. He’s tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt for the second-most all time and just one behind Jimmie Johnson. 

Chase Elliott also has an All-Star win, claiming his in the event’s only foray to Bristol Motor Speedway back in 2020. 

Changes to this year’s event include an increase in laps from 200 to 250 and a promoter’s caution. For more details on the format, click here. 

Here’s a look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports cars will look when they hit the track this weekend: 

Event Overview

● Event: All-Star Race

● Time/Date: 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday, May 18

● Location: North Wilkesboro Speedway

● Layout: 0.625 mile short track oval

● Format: 250 laps / 156.25 miles

● TV/Radio: FS1 / PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

Hyak Motorsports heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the2025 All-Star Race with the iconic SunnyD car. This weekend the No. 47 car will proudly showcase a fan favorite livery, cementing the brand’s continued sponsorship with the team.

SunnyD is back and ready for more action this weekend at another legendary racetrack on the NASCAR circuit. SUNNYD, apart of Harvest Beverage Company, will adorn the hood of Stenhouse’s No. 47Chevrolet for the All-Star Race. After appearing on Stenhouse’s car for the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray on February 2, the nostalgic beverage made its return to the Daytona 500 before coming back on the car for the March 31 race at Martinsville Raceway, April 5 at Darlington Raceway, April 13 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and May 4 at Texas Motor Speedway. Harvest Hill Beverage Company, based in Stamford, Connecticut, is owned by private equity firm Brynwood Partners, and acquired the SUNNYD brand from J.W. Childs in February2016. Harvest Hill markets some of America’s most beloved beverage brands, including SUNNYD, JUICY JUICE, LITTLE HUG and DAILY’S Cocktails. SUNNYD products are widely distributed through leading retailers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For complete nutrition facts, recipe and activity ideas, and other helpful information, visit SUNNYD.com. For more information on Harvest Hill, please visit www.HarvestHill.com.

The All-Star Race is one of the most anticipated events of the year, and Hyak Motorsports is ready to rise to the occasion.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro for Hyak Motorsports:

“The All-Star Race is always intense – no points on the line, just pride and a big check. It’s a chance to go out there, take some risks, and really show what your team is made of. I’m excited to mix it up and hopefully give the fans something to cheer about.”

Hyak Motorsports PR

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — It took Tony Kanaan a dozen tries to win the Indianapolis 500, and, much later, four years to accept it was time to retire and find something else to do outside a racecar.

His 2023 start in the Indy 500 was supposed to be the last of his career and perhaps will ultimately go down as his final appearance in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

But that final 500 led to a full-time job with Arrow McLaren Racing, where in under two years Kanaan has been promoted to team principal and the man in charge of making the decisions while McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown focuses on Formula 1.

And, in a worst case weather scenario May 25, Kanaan might just find himself back in the field of 33 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After two days of rain delays, Kanaan on Thursday completed the veteran refresher course required for him to be the emergency replacement driver for Kyle Larson should Larson have to leave Indianapolis early to make it back to North Carolina for the the Coca-Cola 600.

A long rain delay in Indy last year ruined Larson’s attempt to complete motorsports 1,100-mile “Double” and he never turned a lap in Charlotte. NASCAR made clear to Larson and Hendrick Motorsports that the Coca-Cola 600 must be his priority or it will cost him dearly in the Cup Series championship race.

Although Kanaan said the refresher course rekindled his passion for Indianapolis, he would prefer not to replace Larson and race again at age 50. He’d have to start last if Larson leaves Indianapolis before the race begins.

“My retirement, I think my biggest fear was how much I was going to miss this,” Kanaan said. “But not sure I want to start 33rd and try to pass everybody and suffer for 2 1/2 hours. I did go out on my own terms and I don’t have the need to go back and run this race again.”

Kanaan will be on Larson’s timing stand during the race and cannot replace him in the car once the race begins.

His acceptance of being a retired racer comes from the massive responsibility he’s been given by Brown. With Brown based in England, Kanaan is the day-to-day boss at Arrow McLaren and thriving in the new role.

“The team loves him, I haven’t had that since I started the IndyCar team. He leads by example. He’s a workaholic. He’s motivated, and that rubs off on people,” Brown told The Associated Press. “None of that surprises me. What did surprise me about TK is the dude can talk and listen at the same time. He takes a lot of advice, which is a bit unusual. He talks to our board members all the time — probably more than me — and he knows what he doesn’t know and doesn’t want to make mistakes, he’s decisive, and he ain’t scared.

“If I tell him to do something — and it’s something unpleasant — Tony’s like ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ Then 10 minutes later he calls me and tells me its done.”

Adjusting to a new role

Kanaan doesn’t look at his new job as the guy tasked with doing Brown’s dirty work — and there was a lot of it last year as the IndyCar team had a slew of driver hiring and firings.

He said he understands the difficult business side of motorsports and noted Michael Andretti fired him in 2010 despite an existing contract over a loss of sponsorship. It was then he truly understood the brutal nature of the sport and has carried it with him into his role as leader at Arrow McLaren.

“I think the way I want to run the team, Zak and I think the same. It’s not that he doesn’t want to do it, it’s that I’m in charge and I should do it,” Kanaan said. “If he’s going to do everything for me, why am I here? When you’re being honest, good or bad, it’s going to be uncomfortable.

“I had to do a few things these with people that were my friends,” he continued. “It’s not about that. We run a company now. It’s also my reputation and how I want this team to be perceived to be successful. If people are not able to separate the friendship to the professional, then too bad. I think it’s just a choice that I made. I think I’m a fair person. I think I try to run the team as fair as I can. If you’re lacking, I will tell you. Or if you’re doing good, I’ll tell you. I will never forget, Zak told me one day, ‘You don’t need a title. If 10 people walk in the room, they should be able to pick who the boss is.’”

The drivers’ view

Arrow McLaren fields three full-time entries for Pato O’Ward, Christian Lundgaard and Nolan Siegel, and a fourth car at Indy for Larson. O’Ward has embraced the feedback he receives from his new boss because Kanaan “still thinks he’s a racing driver.

“I think it drives everybody forward. Obviously, always has a good spirit, lots of energy,” O’Ward said. “I always like to hear the negative feedback more, I would say, than the positive because I feel like the positive, it’s always very dependent on just results. But I feel like behind the results, there’s a lot of things that happen, and you always learn more from the things that you’re doing maybe not optimal. I always welcome it.”

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Earlier this season, Teague served as rear changer for Kyle Larson but was part of a pit-crew member swap that sent him to Spire Motorsports last month.

It remains to be seen if Elliott’s team will experience any more changes in the coming weeks should their struggles persist. Through 12 races this season, he’s amassed three top-5 finishes and six top-10s but remains winless.

In recent weeks, some have called for Gustafson to be canned and replaced by Adam Wall, who’s served as crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports’ No.17 car in the Xfinity Series. He’s quickly made a name for himself among Cup Series circles and garnered a reputation as an up-and-coming star.

Elliott, for one, is sticking by Gustafson – insisting that his longtime partner is still the right person for the job. “I mean, I think that’s probably some of it comes with the territory, I guess, a little bit,” he told Express U.S. Sports last month.

DON’T MISS:

“Look, he’s a pro. I love Alan. I think he is so good at what he does, and I believe in him. At the end of the day, that’s really all that matters is kind of how I look at it.

“I think we have a good relationship and we both helped each other grow quite a lot in the course of our time together, coming up to ten years. We just enjoy going to battle each week.”

Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition Chad Knaus, meanwhile, asserted that Gustafon’s job was safe so long as he continued to field a competitive racecar. “I know that Alan and Chase are digging in deep and working extremely hard with their team to try to make sure that they do that on a weekly basis, because when they do, they execute very well,” he said.

“It only takes one hiccup and it can derail your day. So we’ve got to keep working on those things. But as long as they continue to bring good race cars and fast race cars and execute at a high level, they’re going to be where we need them.”