In the world of stock car racing, talent often meets opportunity at breakneck speeds. Some are just born to race, while others get a feel for it as they grow older. Kyle Larson was both of them. The racing prodigy was born to drive any type of car you put him in. It came as no surprise when Chip Ganassi Racing assured Larson that he would take over their No. 42 car in 2013 when he was only 21 years old. However, some did wonder if he was truly ready for the challenge. While being hailed as NASCAR’s next big star by the likes of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, others cautioned against rushing him into the spotlight too soon.

Why did Jeff Gluck underestimate young Kyle Larson?

Now, twelve years later, it’s clear that Yung Money has proven himself as one of NASCAR’s elite drivers, winning the Cup Series Championship in 2021. A recent post on X talking about Larson’s ambition while entering the Cup Series in 2012 read, ““I’d like to prove the people who don’t feel like I’m ready for it wrong.” @KyleLarsonRacin was named the new driver of the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi at a press conference at @ATLMotorSpdwy in August 2013.” Well, Jeff Gluck was one of these doubters, and he openly admitted to it.

NASCAR’s seasoned reporter, Jeff Gluck, who began his early NASCAR coverage in 2004, drew early conclusions about Kyle Larson’s progress in the Cup Series. Over time, Larson proved these concerns wrong. Reflecting on this insightful journey, Jeff Gluck reposted the above-mentioned post on X and wrote, “I wrote they shouldn’t rush him to Cup and he should do another year of Xfinity first,” hinting he was the one whom Larson typically proved wrong.

According to Gluck, though Larson was highly talented and had a lot of potential, he lacked experience. Being only 21 then, he had only one full-time Xfinity Series, and he didn’t even secure a win, but had an impressive nine top-5 and 17 top-10 finishes in 33 races in 2013. This showed enough potential for Chip Ganassi but evidently, Gluck wasn’t convinced. However, the veteran insider did recount other driver’s views on Larson entering the Cup Series.

“(He) reminds me of a lot better me,” said 3x Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon’s views were no different, using words like “unreal” for him, Gordon said, “I wish we had five or six more of him.” On the other hand, Joey Logano explained, “Kyle is an amazing talent that will make it someday. But at the same time I always tell people not to rush it, because sometimes it isn’t quite worth it.” Kyle Larson proved everyone wrong for sure, but it did take him until his third season to bag a victory. However, since that year, he has finished in the top 10 of the driver’s standings every year barring 2020, when he was suspended after 4 races for an insensitive comment.

Kyle Larson’s performance in his rookie year at the Cup Series season was mighty impressive. Despite not securing a win, Larson put up eight top-5 and 17 top-10 finishes. This included two pole starts at Richmond and Pocono. Larson’s prowess on road courses was evident with his dirt racing background as he finished 4th at Watkins Glen after starting 23rd. 

Now in 2021, Larson is a Cup Series Champion for Hendrick Motorsports and while he has proven his mettle at most tracks, superspeedways still seem to bother him.

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Kyle Larson’s best and worst tracks

Kyle Larson has experienced a mix of success and challenges across different tracks in his NASCAR career. Larson has been facing difficulty on drafting tracks such as Daytona International Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, at which he has posted very poor average finishes of 21.9, 15.8, and 29.8, respectively, in the Next-Gen era.

On the other hand, among his most favored venues, Las Vegas Motor Speedway happens to be a place where he has performed very well over the years, achieving 12 top-10 finishes and 3 career wins there in 17 races and an average finish of 9.4! Michigan also ranks as his only other track with three wins, and all three of them came when he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing. However, Martinsville faced the opposite effect.

Larson has had a rough time at Martinsville, but his most recent performances have turned this venue into one of his strongholds over the years, winning in 2023 at Martinsville and finishing in the top six in each of his last four appearances since. However, before joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, Larson recorded just two top-10 finishes in 11 races with Chip Ganassi Racing.

This contrast in performance highlights the complexities of racing dynamics and individual driver capabilities across various styles of racing and various team strategies. He has racked up 29 career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, 10 of them coming in his title-winning campaign in 2021.

Although the Daytona 500 didn’t work out due to the multi-car crash involved, HMS Vice Chairman, Jeff Gordon, feels it is all in his head, as he said, “I think now I’m starting to see it’s getting in his head. 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 himself is a multiple Daytona 500 champ and would be imparting as much wisdom as he can to get Larson over his superspeedway hump.

It will be interesting to see how he will approach Atlanta Motor Speedway where his last four finishes have been outside the top-30! Do you think Larson will prove everyone wrong this Sunday? Or is it just going to be misery on repeat for the HMS driver? Let us know in the comments below!