“Should’ve Aimed Higher” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Outsmarted by Kyle Larson as He Convinces Rick Hendrick of the Unthinkable

Young racers trudge through hundreds of dirt and sprint racing tracks, hoping for a single shot in a NASCAR series. But the 2021 Cup Series champion set an unconventional precedent for future generations. Rick Hendrick‘s #5 driver continues to participate in sprint races despite being a championship hopeful in the playoff season.

Former Hendrick Motorsports racer Dale Earnhardt Jr could not fathom this arrangement in the businessman’s esteemed racing team. Kyle Larson divulged his trade secrets in the senior racer’s podcast.

Kyle Larson won dirt races from Rick Hendrick as Dale Earnhardt Jr watched from a helicopter

Kyle ‘Wheelman’ Larson began a flourishing career as a teenage sprint racer. A quick stop at IndyCar Racing jump-started an inspirational NASCAR journey with no end in sight. Named one of the 75 greatest drivers in NASCAR’s history, his recent win at the track too tough to tame earmarked him as the foremost trophy contender of the season. But for Larson, the passion for the sport enveloped the highest accolades. The three-time All-Stars Race winner never parted from the core roots of his driving skills.

Dale Jr.’s associate was astonished at the team’s cooperation. Amusingly, Mike Davis disclosed that Junior settled for a helicopter ride to Martinsville and Darlington. To that, a rueful former HMS driver wished, “I should’ve aimed a little higher!” Despite the jocularity, Larson acknowledged that Hendrick Motorsports could only accord that privilege to the champion racer because of a crucial change.

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No amount of practice is good enough for Rick Hendrick’s No 5 star

For Kyle Larson, a race is a race, no matter the track. He aimed to excel at a variety of racing styles and race tracks. He occasioned the Xfinity and Truck races even after climbing up the ladder. But more importantly, he insisted on the stipulation of sprint racing at the cost of his alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. Larson confessed, “I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be the end of it’. I got a Hendrick Motorsports opportunity in front of me, and I’m going to kill it by telling him I want to race sprint cars still.” However, he held his ground and retained the best of both worlds, with unbelievable results.

The year Kyle Larson won his Cup Series championship, he also won the Chilli Bowl Midget Nationals for the second consecutive year. And while qualifying for this year’s playoffs, Larson simultaneously won the Knoxville Nationals for the second time in a sprint car.

As extraordinary as these achievements are, Kyle Larson endeavored to justify the Hall of Famer’s situation. He reminded Dale Jr, “The schedule is way different now than when you were full-time. Back then, you were testing all the time. You were practicing on Fridays and Saturdays, racing on Sundays.”

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“Now we get 20 minutes of practice if that. This week, we go to Talladega and we just qualify and race. So I think the teams are now seeing that it’s harder for your driver to stay sharp with the limited track times…obviously, it’s risky. It’s risky letting your drivers race sprint cars and dirt stuff and all that. But I think they see the upside of it, staying sharp and racing and all that. And in 2021, my first year at Hendrick obviously went really well, winning the championship. And I raced more that year than I ever have and it’s gone well. I’m appreciative of that for sure.”

If there is anyone who could qualify and ace a superspeedway with 20 minutes of racing, it’s Kyle Larson. Rick Hendrick knew that well when he permitted his star racer to sharpen his knife before cutting the playoff competition in the upcoming rounds.