The first NASCAR race of the season is done and dusted. Ricky Stenhouse Jr was the unexpected winner of the Daytona 500 after two bouts of overtime and a wild race finish. Meanwhile, poor old Kyle Larson got caught up in a late wreck that ruined his chances of victory.
Now, all that the driver can do is sit and rue what could have been, before turning his attention to the next race. Speaking of shifting priorities, Larson is well-known for indulging in extra-curricular activities, outside of NASCAR. And one of the most important items on his checklist is to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
In a recent appearance on the Stacking Pennies podcast, he talked about his preparedness for Indy500 with host Corey LaJoie. He said, “I’m pumped about that. Honestly, I’m happy that it’s going to be next year, not this year, because May’s not that far away. I would feel, not prepared come 500 time, if I was doing it this year.
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I’ll get to do as much studying as I can this year. I’m sure I don’t have anything planned yet, but I’m sure I’ll go for some practice days. Just kind of sit in and see how, I would hope like their debriefs and all that, work. Meet the drivers and stuff. I grew up around Alexander Rossi, so I know him. I met Felix Rosenqvist a couple of weeks ago. He was in the Chevy simulator.”
What lies ahead for Kyle Larson in 2023?
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Admittedly, his 2023 campaign has been off to a bad start after being classified in 18th place at Daytona. In the coming weekend, the paddock heads to the Auto Club Speedway in California. This could be a chance for the 2021 Cup Series champion to redeem himself and get his championship challenge on track.
Aside from stock car racing, he has been competing in different racing disciplines. Owing to his versatility as a driver, Larson will certainly entertain ideas about racing dirt and other races in between Cup Series fixtures. This is something that former NASCAR champion, Tony Stewart used to do, and is actually still doing, to this day.
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On top of all of this, he will also be preparing for next year’s Indy 500.
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