“It’s cool to be viewed as the guy that everybody’s looking at,” Larson said in an interview with The Roanoke Times this week. “But at the same time, I won’t be surprised if I’m not the fastest there, because it’s way different than what I grew up doing.
“I really think the only advantage that us dirt guys have is that we can read a track. Everybody in the Cup series, they’re all really, really good drivers and can adapt quickly. They’ll figure it out very fast.”
Last year, during his suspension from NASCAR, Larson put in a historic performance at dirt tracks across the country. He won an astonishing 46 races across multiple series and was named the 410 Sprint Car Driver of the Year. This past January, Larson earned his second straight victory at the Chili Bowl Nationals, which is considered the crown jewel event of dirt racing.
But it’s more than just his dirt-racing chops; he’s also been outstanding on the regular tracks this year. In his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson leads the Cup Series in laps led (379) and average running position (5.89), having picked up a victory at Las Vegas earlier this month.
“It’s still really early in the year, but obviously I’m happy with where things are at,” said Larson, who trails only Denny Hamlin in the Cup standings. “I feel like we’re performing very well as a team, doing good on the racetrack, bringing in fast race cars. Our pit crew’s doing a good job – a great job – and I feel like for the most part, I’m doing a pretty good job, too, during the week as well as at the track.