- 2 days ago
Known as one of racing's premiere 'wheel men,' two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has cemented his reputation as motorsport's most versatile and respected drivers--on and off the track. Fresh off securing his second Cup championship last month, the 33-year-old is gearing up for an action-packed off-season with even more races on the horizon. The star driver hit the brakes just long enough to chat with editor-in-chief Joann Butler about racing, family, and everything in between. This is a LifeMinute with Kyle Larson.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hey, what's up? This is Kyle Larson, and you are watching Life Minute TV.
00:04And the 33-year-old from Elk Grove, California, Kyle Larson comes to the line and is a two-time champion!
00:13Let's go, team! Let's go!
00:18Race car driving phenom Kyle Larson has cemented his reputation as one of motorsport's most versatile and respected drivers.
00:26Fresh off securing his second NASCAR Cup Series championship last month, he hit the brakes just long enough to chat with me about racing and what makes him tick.
00:35This is a Life Minute with Kyle Larson.
00:38Congratulations! Two-time NASCAR Cup champ. Wow. I mean, and what a race it was. Just amazing. What does that even feel like?
00:47I mean, it feels really good. You know, it's just the way the race went, too.
00:51I think, you know, especially at the end of it, I just didn't expect to win the championship.
00:56So I think when you end up winning it, it's just, like, complete excitement and just shock and relief and all the feelings.
01:04So, yeah, it was cool and just a whirlwind of emotions and all that.
01:09So, you know, it's just a great feeling.
01:11Amazing. And, of course, a close call. Denny Hamlin, a fateful change, all four tires.
01:16Did you even know, like, what was going on when that was happening?
01:19You know, my pit stall was on, you know, the earlier side of the pit road and he was the very last pit stall.
01:26So, yeah, as I'm kind of driving the rest of the length of pit road, I'm just hoping that either they messed up their pit stop
01:32or they're going to take four tires and we're going to somehow end up in front of them.
01:35And, yeah, when I saw him taking four tires, I was like, OK, at least I'm in front of him now.
01:39I can control my own fate a little bit here on this restart.
01:42And then, yeah, we had a better buffer of cars between him and I than I was expecting.
01:47And, yeah, just was able to go out there and execute the restart we needed to to stay in front of him and win the championship.
01:54So that's the interesting part about our format and how you just have to beat, you know, the other three guys in the final four.
02:00And, you know, with some with some good fortune, we were able to do that.
02:04Did you speak to him afterwards?
02:05Yeah, I saw him later that night and obviously I knew, you know, how devastated he must be and feeling.
02:14So it was kind of an odd, you know, awkward interaction for me because, yeah, obviously I'm happy for myself.
02:20But at the same point, you know, I'm also bummed for him because he had it in his hands and he's been so close a number of times.
02:28And he's been racing in the Cup Series for two decades and has still yet to win a championship.
02:33So it's just a bit of a weird feeling.
02:35But, you know, yeah, I got to talk to him for just a little bit, which was good.
02:38You're a good guy.
02:39Did you always know you wanted to race?
02:41I think so.
02:43I never really was into other things.
02:45You know, I'm a pretty small guy, so I'm not going to play football or, you know, playing anything professionally, I guess.
02:52But, you know, racing was something that I loved and I adapted to quickly.
02:58And, you know, a lot of my friends and stuff were in racing and all my greatest memories somehow revolve around racing.
03:05So I would say, yeah, I mean, it's what I probably always wanted to be.
03:08How old were you when you started?
03:10I was seven when I started racing go-karts.
03:13And your family was supportive, obviously.
03:15Yeah, my parents are huge race fans.
03:18They were definitely supportive of it and have been my biggest supporters kind of along the whole journey.
03:24So, yeah, I'm super appreciative of that.
03:26You race so many, you know, different types of cars, NASCAR, Indy, Dirt.
03:31Are there different techniques to racing, you know, different tracks, different cars, same principles?
03:37Everything's a bit different from each other.
03:39But I think when you do it a lot, like how I do, your style, I guess, can adapt to all different types of track conditions or cars that you're racing on whatever track.
03:50So I feel like I don't drive any differently in anything that I race.
03:54But, yeah, I'm sure it definitely takes some sort of different style a little bit.
03:59But like I said, I've just been doing it so long.
04:01In a way, it's kind of like riding a bike, you know.
04:04You don't really – like I don't really think about what I'm doing anymore when I get in the car.
04:08I just kind of strap in and go and do it and hopefully –
04:12I was going to say, that was my next question.
04:14How do you even go from one to another?
04:16Like for you, it's just like, you know, nature.
04:19Yeah, I mean, I think in the beginning when I was younger, you raced in different types of cars.
04:24Yeah, you'd have to think about like, all right, I'm in a wing sprint car tonight.
04:28You know, I need to drive it this way.
04:30And then the next day, you know, I get in a different car and say it's a pavement midget.
04:35And like, all right, I got to remember what car I'm in and think about what I got to do.
04:39But then, yeah, like I said, once you like get enough reps at doing it all,
04:42you just strap in and go and your brain's kind of ready.
04:46Do you have a favorite?
04:47Well, I love obviously racing all types of cars.
04:52But I would say, you know, my favorite would be like a wing sprint car.
04:56And I wouldn't say that's my favorite series over the other.
04:58It's just like those cars are just crazy and they're wild and fun and they want to hurt you.
05:04Like it's a little adrenaline rush that you get in it, get running it.
05:08You know, they're almost 1,000 horsepower and like 1,400 pounds.
05:12So they're just, they're crazy vehicles.
05:15There's probably not another vehicle like it on planet Earth.
05:18Is this going to be number three for the guy who may be the best in the world?
05:24Into three and off of four.
05:27Kyle Warson does it again at the Chili Bowl.
05:30What even propels you?
05:32Is it almost like a fight?
05:33How a boxer maybe fights?
05:35What goes in your mind before you do it?
05:37I don't know.
05:38I mean, I think, again, like I've done it for so long now.
05:41It's, I don't really, I don't know.
05:43I just don't think about it.
05:45I literally, in a car, whether I'm racing or testing or whatever, you know, probably half of the year.
05:51So you just do it.
05:55If you don't know what the double is, it is the Indianapolis 500 and the Coke 600
06:01in the NASCAR Cup Series on the same day.
06:05Memorial Day 2026, are you going to attempt the double again?
06:08No, not this year.
06:10No, it was fun getting to do it the couple years that we did.
06:12But it's just logistically, it's really challenging.
06:15And, you know, weather's got to be perfect.
06:17You know, can't be, there just can't be anything that makes the Indy 500 go a little longer.
06:24Otherwise, just the window of time is just too close.
06:26So, no, I don't, I don't think I'll do it again.
06:29But like I said, I had fun doing it when I did.
06:31And the High Limit Sprint Car Series that you co-own with your brother-in-law, what's the future hold there?
06:38Yeah, no, just hopefully, you know, we're still so young.
06:40Like we've only ran, this has only been our second season as a tour nationally.
06:44So, yeah, just continue to progress and grow.
06:47And, you know, I feel like we've done a ton of great things in sprint car racing in these two years with, you know, adding big events and, you know, allowing teams to compete for more money and all those sorts of things.
07:01So, yeah, I would say just continue all that.
07:03Continue to try to grow and get the fan base even bigger and, you know, grow it in the sport that we all believe it can be.
07:09Here comes the 86 up on to within a couple of car links to the 1K.
07:13Now to his back bumper round to the front straightaway.
07:15Can he make a move and it turns one and two?
07:16He does.
07:17Slides off of the lead.
07:18Contact and Larson's upside down.
07:21Do you ever get scared?
07:22Anything ever scare you out there?
07:24No.
07:25No, I wouldn't say.
07:26No, I don't get scared.
07:28I don't think you can be.
07:29I think if you ever feel that feeling, then you're not able to give it 100%.
07:35So, you know, maybe that will creep in someday.
07:38But as of right now, no, I don't get scared.
07:41What are your racing pet peeves?
07:43Racing pet peeves?
07:45When lappers, like cars or slow cars, race you.
07:49They should just let you go, probably.
07:52Who would you look up to as a young racer when you're coming up the ranks?
07:56I would say Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart were the two guys that I followed the most because my background followed theirs a lot.
08:03You know, they were both dirt track racers.
08:05So, yeah, so both of them.
08:07And then I got to compete with both of them, too, which was really cool.
08:10Do you think like the dirt racing and dirt helped you in NASCAR?
08:13Yeah, I mean, I think it definitely helps for sure.
08:16I think I'm sure there's some areas where it teaches you some bad habits, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives from it.
08:23So, yeah, I mean, I definitely think that it's helped me get to where I'm at and helped shape me into the type of driver and successful driver that I can be.
08:32That's cool.
08:33How so?
08:33What bad habits?
08:35Well, I think it goes both ways.
08:36I think, you know, a good habit is that it teaches you aggression and how to push, but then that can also get you into trouble sometimes.
08:43So, but again, I think I would take the positives from the aggression over the negatives.
08:51And you have three kids and they're following in your footsteps a little bit.
08:55They race, right?
08:56Yeah, two of them do.
08:57Our oldest son, Owen, he'll be 11 next month.
09:00He's racing and then he's been racing for, gosh, four or five years now.
09:05My daughter, she started racing last year.
09:08She's seven and a half and they both do a good job.
09:10Owen, he's had to work, I feel like, harder at it than Audrey.
09:14She's just more competitive spirit.
09:17And I mean, she's a girl, so she can like listen and comprehend what you're trying to teach her.
09:21But yeah, it's fun.
09:22It's fun having them, you know, doing things that are, you know, natural to us as parents.
09:27And then, yeah, we have an almost three-year-old son, too, that he's crazy, but I'm going to try and keep him out of racing.
09:33Oh, that's great.
09:34I love it.
09:35What do you do, if anything, to stay in shape when you're not racing?
09:39Yeah, I mean, I would say two years ago, I had no physical regimen.
09:43I didn't take it serious at all.
09:44But I actually, I think, I just think naturally as you get older, you find different hobbies and stuff.
09:49And yeah, I enjoy working out now.
09:51So, you know, I plan on, yeah, staying in shape throughout the off season and being ready to go for the year.
09:57And yeah, I mean, I think it definitely can benefit you.
10:00How do you get pumped before a race?
10:02I don't like to get pumped before the race.
10:04So, I don't really do anything fancy.
10:06I don't need to listen to music or meditate or anything like that.
10:09I just like to just treat it as a normal day.
10:13And then, yeah, you're just ready to go.
10:15Amazing.
10:16Certain diet?
10:18Diet would be, could be better.
10:20Definitely could be better.
10:21But I feel like my diet's not that bad.
10:23It's better than it used to be, for sure.
10:25I mean, I used to eat cheeseburgers, you know, spaghetti, tacos, like anything.
10:30It didn't matter.
10:31I didn't watch what I ate.
10:31And which is, for me, like, also a bit annoying because I feel like I take my diet more serious.
10:37I work out more.
10:38And, like, I don't really notice or see any differences than when I didn't work out and ate like crap.
10:45But, you know, I still weigh the same as I have since I was, like, 16 or 17.
10:49But, yeah, I try to watch what I eat a bit more than I used to and sleep more and just take life more serious these days.
10:57But I don't know if it works or not.
11:00As you get older.
11:01What about staying mentally fit?
11:03You do anything?
11:04I mean, I think for me to stay mentally fit, I think that's why I race a lot.
11:09You know, I race a lot outside of NASCAR.
11:10It really helps my confidence to go, you know, have fun, race in sprint cars.
11:16And, you know, you can race a lot more often in those, too.
11:18So you can hopefully string together some good races and build your confidence, which, you know, helps the mental side of things.
11:24But this year, you know, I had a couple months, I'd say six weeks or so of, like, sprint car racing and NASCAR both were not going how I wanted it to.
11:35And then, yeah, I was, like, just mentally kind of drained.
11:38But that's pretty rare, I feel like, for me.
11:41So, yeah, I don't know.
11:42Just race and hopefully you do a good job.
11:46What do you do after you win?
11:54Like, what do you do afterwards?
11:56And then how do you get to sleep?
11:58Thankfully for us, we usually win quite a bit.
12:00So I feel like typically for us, we would, you know, get together as a team, you know, after the race, the holler and, you know, have a drink.
12:08And Cliff will do his motivational thing after.
12:12Then, yeah, you move on to the next, you know, Monday you got meetings and stuff.
12:16So, like, you quickly move on from it.
12:18But, yeah, back in the beginning, yeah, if I won, like, it was a week-long, you know, celebration.
12:25Because it was really hard to win back then.
12:27So you wanted to take advantage of it and celebrate it.
12:29But now it's like you, winning is always going to feel amazing.
12:34But, you know, it's kind of expected when you're at Hendrick Motorsports.
12:37So, yeah, I would say the celebrations don't last very long.
12:41And then you're quickly moved on to preparing to go win another one.
12:45That makes sense.
12:46What do you like to do when you're not racing?
12:48Well, I don't have many of those days.
12:50But when I'm not racing, I'm probably at the track watching my kids race, which is a lot of fun.
12:56I do enjoy that.
12:56But I guess if it doesn't revolve around racing, I don't know.
13:00I mean, I don't golf as much as I used to.
13:02I like to ride my bike.
13:04I like to cycle a little bit.
13:06Go on the boat or whatever if it's during the summer.
13:09But I don't know.
13:11I guess whatever my kids are into.
13:14All right.
13:14What's on your music playlist?
13:16What are your favorite artists?
13:17I like all music.
13:19So I don't have, like, a favorite genre.
13:21I don't have, like, a favorite artist or anything.
13:23I'll listen to anything.
13:24Like, Taylor Swift just came out with a new album.
13:26So I've been listening to that.
13:27So I'm not ashamed.
13:29I don't listen to anything.
13:30Yeah.
13:30I mean, it could be country, classic rock, rap, pop, R&B, remix, you know, EDM, whatever.
13:38It doesn't matter to me.
13:40What's something no one knows about you?
13:42I don't know.
13:42I mean, I always used to get this question and was like, oh, I really like salads and lettuce.
13:48And I feel like everybody knows that now.
13:51So.
13:52Yeah.
13:52Well, that was my next question.
13:53What's your favorite comfort food?
13:55I'm for food.
13:56Yeah.
13:56My favorite, like, cheat meal, I guess, yeah, it would be, like, pasta, spaghetti or chicken
14:03parm or something like that.
14:06Favorite cocktail?
14:07Lately, it's just simple, like, tequila soda with an orange slice.
14:12If I want to have a big night, I would just do, like, Captain Morgan and Diet Coke.
14:17If you weren't racing, what else would you be doing, you think?
14:20Nothing.
14:20I don't know, living on the streets.
14:23I'm not sure.
14:24Something involved in racing, probably.
14:26What's your best life advice?
14:29Just have fun.
14:30I would say don't take, I mean, take things serious, but don't take things so serious where
14:35you're not enjoying it.
14:36I think that's kind of what my parents had always instilled in me.
14:40And then I just feel like that's how I've lived life.
14:43You know, I don't get stressed out really too much.
14:45What's your street driving like?
14:47Is it different than racing?
14:49I don't know.
14:50I'm pretty aggressive on the racetrack.
14:51I can be aggressive, less aggressive probably on the street.
14:54But my wife says I'm a terrible driver, so.
14:58All wives say that.
15:00Yeah.
15:01She's terrible too.
15:03What's next for you?
15:05What's something you want to do you haven't done yet?
15:07I would love to win the Daytona 500 someday.
15:10But then, I don't know, outside of racing, I mean, I do look forward to the day that I'm done
15:14racing, you know, whenever that day comes so I can, you know, travel the world and, gosh,
15:20see a lot of the United States I haven't even seen.
15:22So, but yeah, just do things that normal people get to do, I guess.
15:28To hear more of this interview, visit our podcast, Life Minute TV on iTunes and all streaming
15:33podcast platforms.
15:34We'll see you next time.
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