Kyle Larson’s Rare Appearance in His Brainchild’s Rival Series Leaves NASCAR Fans in Awe of His Racing Obsession

Aug 3, 2024 | 11:24 PM EDT

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Like the busybody Kyle Larson is, there’s no way he’d spend his two-week Olympic break resting away. And that’s exactly what the adrenaline junkie did, albeit with a twist!

Lucky for the Hendrick Motorsports star driver, there was a World of Outlaws series dirt race happening yesterday. The California native took the wheel at I-55 in the series, which is a direct rival to his High Limit Racing tourney.

Kyle Larson punched his ticket to the Ironman 55 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway in Pevely, Missouri, by winning the Last Chance Showdown. From a challenging 21st-place starting spot, he drove his way to his first World of Outlaws victory of 2024. This win marks his 33rd career series victory and his sixth triumph on this track, showcasing his impressive skill and determination in other racing formats as he sits comfortably on No. 1 in the Cup Series standings.

What’s more? Larson put on an unforgettable show after fighting his way through the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown to even make it to the main event, showing he’s not just a NASCAR star but a Sprint Car powerhouse too.

So does the 2021 Cup Series Champion do it for the money—already sitting atop a massive net worth of over $10 million? Interestingly, it is actually about the money, but not for himself. Looking to elevate the sport for other racers who give their life to it, Larson is on a mission. “I really just wanted to kinda elevate, not only the mid-week stuff, I was hoping this would add pressure to weekend shows to raise their purses as well,” the driver had said.

And the efforts reap their benefits from time to time as a large number of racing fans flock to the stands whenever the veteran’s participating. Taking pride in what he’s able to do for the sport, Larson shared one such instance: “I love seeing NASCAR shirts at the dirt tracks. Every night I race a dirt race, I bet 10 fans come up to me and say, ‘Hey, this is my first ever dirt race I’ve gone to.’ That makes me happy, it makes me feel like I’m doing something positive for the overall broad spectrum of motorsports growing.”

As for his recent dirt race, from the get-go, it seemed like a long shot for Larson to snag the win, but he methodically worked his way through the field, moving up to the top ten by Lap 8 and into the top five just ten laps later. With a restart giving him a new shot at the front, Larson quickly surged into third place, and by Lap 26, he was up to second.

As the final laps ticked away, Larson faced a significant challenge from James McFadden, who seemed to race locked up. But in a twist, a lapped car got in McFadden’s way, allowing Larson to close in. On the last lap, Larson made a bold move, sneaking past McFadden in a thrilling drag race to the finish line and capturing the win by a mere 0.053 seconds. What a day for Larson and fans!

And, when fans got to hear about this news on Reddit, they took to the comments section to share their thoughts about seeing Larson compete and achieving great success in a new format.

Fans react to Kyle Larson’s epic win

Fans had a lot to say about Kyle Larson’s remarkable performance at, and their reactions highlighted a mix of admiration and curiosity about his involvement in different racing series. One fan expressed surprise, saying, “I’m surprised Larson is allowed to compete in WoO since he’s involved with the High Limit sprint series.” One commenter clarified the above comment, saying, “Non-full-time Outlaws can run whatever Outlaw shows they want. Full-time outlaws are the ones who have restrictions.”

Another fan pointed out a reason for Larson’s presence at these events, suggesting, “Larson probably brings in too many ticket sales,” to which a reply read, “And video coverage. We all just watched this video.”

This is something that even the bigwigs of the NASCAR industry realize. Five-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship winner Brad Sweet said last year, “So, essentially Kyle, instead of getting paid to show up, he brings the fans in then races for the purse. So, it’s great for the racers; it’s great for the fans; and obviously, it’s drawn a ton of new interest into the sport,” in a conversation with Dale Earnhardt Jr, on ‘The Dale Jr Download’ podcast.

Another Redditor couldn’t help but express his admiration for the driver writing, “Winning from outside the Top 20 in a 30 lap World of Outlaws race is damn near impossible, but Larson is very good at I-55 Raceway, and he had a really strong car…This is his 9th win between Cup, 410 Sprint’s and Dirt Late Model in 2024, and he’s still the only driver in history to win all 3 in a career, and he’s done it 4 years in a row.”

On a similar note, another fan also gave an anecdote of watching Larson live: “I saw him a couple of years ago at Turkey Night in SoCal. He wasn’t even supposed to be there, but a last minute (Thanksgiving night) deal came together. He jumped in a car he’d never seen before, qualified at the back and drove all the way to second. I felt sorry for Justin Grant, who won the race, because he was definitely not who most people were watching and cheering for.”

Finally, fans marveled at Larson’s versatility, with one fan noting, “Charging through the field at Indy for the victory and now on dirt at I-55 Speedway for the win!” The fans have highlighted Larson’s talent and adaptability across different racing surfaces and formats, which continue to impress fans.

Did you catch Kyle Larson’s race during the NASCAR downtime? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.