How many attempts did our legend Earnhardt Sr. take to win the Daytona 500? The magic number is 20! Even Tony Stewart, one of NASCAR’s most versatile champions, never conquered the Great American Race in 17 tries. The similar pattern holds true for Kyle Larson, NASCAR’s modern-day versatility king, who can win in any vehicle on any surface. But the Superspeedway racing continues to be his kryptonite. Now, after dropping to 0-for-42 in Cup races at Daytona and Talladega combined, the 2021 Cup Series champion isn’t mincing words about his feelings toward the draft-heavy tracks, ahead of the Jack Link’s 500.

Larson’s frustration has become increasingly evident with each passing superspeedway event. “I do a good job of getting us to that point where so many times on the final restart we’re lined up on the first, second row and then I finish 28th,” He said this last year. But after enduring one heartbreak after another, he’s finally speaking up against the stale superspeedway racing.

Larson’s Candid Admission on Speedway Struggles

“I enjoy coming here. The crowd is probably the most into it here, I would say, than a lot of racetracks, so I do enjoy that atmosphere part of it. I don’t enjoy the racing, honestly,” Larson admitted bluntly in a recent interview at Talladega. His unfiltered assessment continued with a touch of exasperation: “I say the same answer every time we come to these fu——- tracks. But we haven’t finished well that many times.”

The statistical evidence backs up Kyle Larson’s frustration. His 0-for-22 record at Daytona International Speedway includes 12 attempts at the Daytona 500, while his combined 0-for-42 record at superspeedways represents one of the most glaring gaps in his impressive resume. When asked about being labeled an “underdog” at Talladega, Larson didn’t hesitate to embrace the designation: “Yeah, I mean, I agree. I probably have the worst average finish here of guys with more than three years of cup experience. So I’ll take being the underdog.”

These struggles are particularly noteworthy given his dominance elsewhere. Larson began 2025 with a streak of victories in sprint cars in Australia, the prestigious Chili Bowl, and at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Nationals. Yet when the NASCAR season opened at Daytona, he finished a disappointing 20th in the 500. During that race, frustration was evident in his radio communications when he lamented, “I make all the wrong moves. Any move I make is the wrong one.”

Larson’s struggles are even more perplexing because his Hendrick Motorsports teammates have found success at these same tracks. William Byron won the 2025 Daytona 500 for the second consecutive year, with teammate Alex Bowman also finishing in the top six. It’s not that Larson isn’t skilled enough to tackle the high banks of Daytona and Talladega. If anything, he’s trying too hard to conquer these behemoth racetracks.

Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, a three-time Daytona 500 winner, believes Kyle Larson’s superspeedway challenges have evolved beyond technical issues to become psychological barriers. “I think now I’m starting to see it’s getting in his head,” Gordon revealed after the 2025 Daytona 500. “I’ve had a few conversations with him, and like, ‘Man, just go for it, just forget about it, don’t try to even overthink it.’” Gordon’s assessment carries particular weight given his own success at superspeedways and his close working relationship with Larson at Hendrick Motorsports.

Interestingly, Kyle Larson’s 10-year-old son Owen seems to understand his father’s struggles, bluntly assessing before the 2025 Daytona 500 that his dad “probably needs to try really hard because he’s not good at superspeedway racing.” When asked specifically about advice, the younger Larson didn’t mince words: “He has to try harder… Probably drafting.”

Despite these persistent struggles, there have been signs of improvement. At Atlanta Motor Speedway in February 2025, a track that now races similar to superspeedways after its reconfiguration, Larson showed promise. He won Stage 2, led 12 laps, and finished third when a caution flew on the final lap. “Came up a little bit short, but proud of the effort today by everyone on our HendrickCars.com Chevy, and yeah, we finally finished at Atlanta,” Larson said after that race.

It’s not just Larson, even an often reserved and shy driver, Christopher Bell, has now opened up about the speedway style of racing. And he’s done with the fuel-saving strategy, urging NASCAR to improve the package.

Trending

1

“You Dumb F***”- Livid Joey Logano Lashes Out at Penske Teammate in Brutally Expletive Rant

2

“Straight Up Race Manipulation” – Fans Accuse NASCAR of Cheating After Controversial Talladega Photo Finish

3

Days After Receiving Death Threats, Katherine Legge Becomes Enemy of the People After Talladega Crash

4

Fans Gang Up on Joey Logano as He Switches Up on His Guardian Angel After Ballistic Rant

5

NASCAR Today: Joey Logano Left Stranded by Fans and Team as Ryan Preece’s Misfortune Garners Support

Christopher Bell demands a better racing product at the superspeedway

Ever since NASCAR rolled out the Next Gen car, the races at tracks like Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta have been stale. Track position is the king in these races, and the only way drivers can make positions on the track is on pit road. Thanks to the drafting style of racing and a packed field, the cars behind the leader use less and less throttle, which in turn allows them to spend less time on the pit road. It might sound like a brilliant tactic, but in reality, it’s not helping the overall racing product.

“I would enjoy a new superspeedway rules package – not just a safety package, but a rules package to try and change up the way that these races are going. But I haven’t heard anything about that, and I know that NASCAR’s working hard to make sure that the cars are safe. You don’t want to have to move field mileage and run at 50 or 60%. I don’t think anybody wants that.” Bell said in an interview.

It’s clear that drivers and experts have demands for a bump in engine power at these tracks. But, unless and until NASCAR makes any substantial changes to the superspeedway package, the racing is likely to remain the same.