Hendrick Motorsports Star Kyle Larson’s Withdrawal Forces Major Change in Dirt Racing as “Garbage Format” Called Out

Kyle Larson has been ringing in the big bucks since he joined Hendrick Motorsports. Spoilt for choice, the 2021 Cup Series champion was the biggest casualty that dirt racing witnessed in recent times. But with this new change incoming, will Larson go back?

Kyle Larson had been participating in the Chili Bowl for 15 years. In his words, “I’ve spent half of my life going there. But now that I’ve started racing in these other big events, against big names, and they just feel like a bigger deal to me than the Chili Bowl.”

The $10,000 payout he received as part of his win in 2021 at the event was not enough. Citing the low purse as a reason, Larson had declared that he wouldn’t be taking part in the 2023 event unless there was a change in the purse amount.

While the Chili Bowl may not have chosen to change its stance on the issue, another major dirt racing event has taken note. The officials of the Lucas Oil Late Model Racing Series announced a new format and a jacked-up payout for the 2023 edition of the event.

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The new format for the Series will have a 4 round elimination stage wherein the participating drivers will be whetted down to a final list of four. Four drivers will then participate in the Championship round of the race. The winner at the end of all this will receive $1 million in prize money.

While that rise in prize money will perk up the ears of drivers, isn’t that format eerily similar to something else?

Fans enjoy schadenfreude as Kyle Larson grabs a W

The playoff format has been one of the biggest thorns for NASCAR fans since its inception. While the new generation might approve of it, the older generations do not.

With the tables turning, fans enjoyed pulling the leg of dirt racing fans on Twitter.

The prize money might generate greater attraction for the Series from drivers, but the bigger question is – does this force Emmett Hahn’s hand into creating a larger purse for the Chili Bowl?

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