02/10/26 02:05:00
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02/10 13:42 CST Child's play: Reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson adds team
owner to his renowned racing resume
Child's play: Reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson adds team owner to his
renowned racing resume
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) --- Kyle Larson's latest racing endeavor might be more
challenging than "The Double."
The two-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion recently started his own
micro-racing team --- for his kids. Trucks, trailers, cars, engines, parts,
shop space, employees, Larson added it all for his 11-year-old son, Owen, and
his 7-year-old daughter, Audrey, to race scaled-down sprint cars more often in
2026.
"We are fully invested," Kyle Larson said.
Larson, though, is dreading the financial thought of it becoming a three-driver
operation because his youngest, 3-year-old Cooper, is the wildest of the bunch.
"In a perfect world, I would love for Cooper not to race," Larson said. "He's
the craziest, for sure, of the three. I think he'll be the most expensive,
probably, because I'm sure he'll be tearing up the most equipment. So, we'll
see if we can keep him out of it."
Highly unlikely, especially if he's trying to keep pace with Dad.
Larson is coming off his second Cup title, a somewhat surprising championship
that came despite no wins over his final 24 events. Nonetheless, he finished
ahead of fellow championship contenders Chase Briscoe, William Byron and Denny
Hamlin in the season finale.
Hamlin had the championship within reach when Byron got a flat tire and hit the
wall to bring out a late caution. Larson was the benefactor and hopes to carry
some of that luck into the Daytona 500 on Sunday. He is winless in 12 tries in
NASCAR's premier event.
"I would imagine the feeling of winning (it would) be extremely massive, if it
ever happens," Larson quipped.
Larson hasn't really been close, either. Daytona is the only regular NASCAR
venue in which he doesn't have a top-five finish. He crossed the line 20th last
year.
"Prior to last year, I would just get caught up in wrecks and whatnot," Larson
said. "I wouldn't say I have any more confidence this year than I did last
year. I just hope that we have the same sort of good fortune as we did last
year. Maybe it can be a few spots better to get a win."
Larson has company in 0-for-Daytona club. Kyle Busch is winless in 20 starts in
the 500, a skid that's more of a head-scratcher than a heartbreaker considering
the two-time series champ has won at just about every track on the circuit.
Brad Keselowski is 0 for 16 in the Daytona 500, also baffling considering the
2012 series champ has six wins at NASCAR's other superspeedway, Talladega.
Hall of Famers Tony Stewart, Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin are the most notable
drivers to never win the Daytona 500.
Fellow Hall of Famer David Pearson needed 15 tries to win NASCAR's signature
event. Kyle Busch's older brother, Kurt, needed 16. And NASCAR great Dale
Earnhardt won in his 20th try --- an iconic moment in series history.
"You feel it, for sure," said Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who won the 500 in 2023 on
his 12th try. "Most people get to double digits before they win a Daytona 500
these days. The more races that go by, the more you wonder if you'll ever get
one.
"You look at guys like Mark Martin and Tony Stewart who been super successful
in our support and never got one. Kyle Busch is still trying. The more that
goes by, the more pressure that ramps up every February."
Larson insists he's feeling no anxiety --- at least not regarding the 500. He
started his own series in 2023, the High Limit Racing Sprint Car Series, which
has now expanded to 60 events.
He also races in other series, too. Most notably, the last two years, he
attempted "The Double" -- racing the Indianapolis 500 in the IndyCar Series and
then hopping on a jet to make NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North
Carolina, the same day.
Weather caused a logistical issue that didn't allow him to complete the double
in 2024, and he crashed last year in Charlotte.
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick called Larson's venture "a huge distraction"
and was relieved the Cup champion would not make another attempt this season.
"Not only was it a distraction with the team, but coming back and wrecking in
the 600 was mentally just a downer that he had to work his way through,"
Hendrick said. "I'm super excited about this year."
Larson agrees, especially with the addition of his micro-racing team.
"It's honestly been a lot of fun, and I look forward to kind of having our own
little touch on things," he said.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
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