The best podcast and the best driver of NASCAR – perfect combo, right? Unfortunately, the union could not happen recently, and you can blame it on heightened technology. After Kyle Larson stormed to the front of the points chart after Bristol, he was giddy with happiness. Clinching his fifth win and securing the top spot knocked off some stress and also a bit of memory as well.

Surely, missing out on Dale Earnhardt Jr’s invitation would not be the result? But that is exactly what happened after the Bristol phenomenon. Larson may have gotten busy savoring his dominant win and ignoring his gadgets – but he regrets it.

Kyle Larson is embarrassed after the slip-up

Sweeping both stages and 462 out of 500 laps is sure to make one light-headed. Kyle Larson smoked Bristol Motor Speedway as he became the star of the show. Passing pole-sitter Alex Bowman early in stage 1, Larson basically owned the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. So forgetting to-do lists on his calendar should come naturally after this spectacle. Kyle Larson and Dale Earnhardt Jr met in August to discuss Iowa’s track – but when it came to discussing the Hendrick star’s success, Larson forgot.

And he is amply apologetic about it as well. Appearing on an episode of the Dale Jr Download significantly in Dale Jr’s absence, Kyle Larson came clean. He confessed that the memory of his invitation was wiped clean from his mind. “There’s really no good reason. I don’t know if I didn’t see it on my calendar or if it just wasn’t on my calendar. But yeah, I didn’t even know I missed it until Jon Edwards told me I missed it yesterday at like 5 o’clock.” Then Larson backed up his explanation with a double apology – and also blamed his forgetfulness on technology. “So I apologize, Dale. Apparently, I’m not good on my phone. So I apologize.”

But Kyle Larson’s fuzzy memory does make sense, as there is a lot on his plate. Besides dominating the most laps in a race since Kyle Busch did in 2008, Larson’s schedule is jam-packed. In 2025, he will go for a re-attempt of the Double, in a continued collaboration with Arrow McLaren. Its CEO, Zac Brown, also recently dropped hints of putting Larsin in an F1 car. After Jimmie Johnson drove in Bahrain in 2018, Brown is confident in Larson’s professed interest. “It is something that we’ve discussed and something I think will happen down the road.”

But although Kyle Larson missed Dale Jr’s podcast seat this time, they are on the same page regarding a pressing topic.

Race timings nag drivers

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Well, the Bristol race was an exception though. The Bass Pro Shops Night Race was flagged off after nightfall, at 7:30 PM. Usually, NASCAR begins its races at 3:30, and that is something drivers were frustrated about. And impending rainfall makes matters worse, as races get delayed further. Inclement weather especially affected Kyle Larson in May when his Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600 effort blew up in smoke. So many in the garage felt nostalgic about the time when NASCAR flagged off races at 1 PM. “I miss the 1pm start times from my rookie season…. 😔,” Kyle Larson tweeted.

The NFL has a fixed time at 1 PM, and that sport has better viewership retention as a result. So Dale Earnhardt Jr also agreed with Larson, citing some personal conveniences as well. “I’ve always been for 1:00 starts right after the lunch getting the race going. I feel like people are just coming off of if they’re going to church or just a family lunch or whatever it may be, right after the lunch, BAM! Get the race started,” Earnhardt elaborated. “There’s reasons why the networks run it at 3:00 and 3:30, and there’s good reasons why they do it that way. For me, I prefer the 1:00 starts.”

So Dale Earnhardt Jr may easily forgive Kyle Larson’s mistake, as both agree on things. For now, let us see whether 2024 will be Kyle Larson’s second championship year or if he will face a disaster soon.