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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 24: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motorspeedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 24: Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 Target Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motorspeedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
Today, the name of NASCAR Cup Champion Kyle Larson is on everyone’s lips. And it’s not surprising. The Hendrick driver has earned every bit of praise he has received for his exploits in 2021 in which he won races like a walk in the park, broke records for fun, all the while carving a place for himself as a modern legend with a bright and clear future ahead of him.
However, it’s easy to forget that less than two years ago, Kyle Larson was in one of the bleakest periods of his career and his life.
And recently, the Cup Champion opened up about that phase full of uncertainty, of “really dark, emotional times.”
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In a conversation with former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, Larson revealed the things that were going on in his mind during that time.
He described that as soon as “it” happened, he instantly knew he’d made “a huge mistake.” “It’s confusion at that point too because you don’t know where your career is headed. You don’t know what you’re gonna be able to do,” Larson said.
“I feel like when you have a job in NASCAR, like you have a plan. You know how your life is gonna be like for however long you want it to be like that. And then..like a light switch and it all changes and it’s like SHOOT,” he continued.
“What am I gonna do? What am I going to do to make money? You know schooling for my kids..how are people going to treat my kids?”
Kyle Larson still hasn’t discovered his ‘ceiling’ as a racecar driver
In a recent press conference at the Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Larson admitted that he still doesn’t have an idea what his limit as a racecar driver is. “I don’t want to know what my ceiling is,” Larson said.
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“You just always continue to try, even when you get to your celling, you try to work hard to surpass it. So, I don’t know, [you] just keep trying to evolve as a racecar driver, keep racing a lot and trying to win races and just fine-tuning different areas of your craft.”

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 06: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, waits on the track prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Kyle Larson’s story is of a true comeback. Because despite the events of 2020, something that would’ve broken any average person into giving up hope altogether, the NASCAR driver took the road less taken.
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He made amends for his mistake, redeemed his character, and proved his mettle as a racecar driver, turning himself from an outcast to a revered star.
Also Read: Kyle Larson Admits Watching Tyler Reddick Makes Him Feel Like He’s “Watching Himself”
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