Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Kyle Larson interview | VICTORY LAP

Episode Date: September 23, 2024

Join Kevin Harvick for a special episode of Victory Lap as he sits down with Kyle Larson! In this exclusive interview, Kyle takes us behind the scenes of his impressive playoff win in Bristol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Kevin Harvick's happy. I're presented by NASCAR on Fox. And on this week's victory lap, we have Kyle Larson, who went to Bristol. We know Kyle Arson is good anywhere he goes. But 462 of the 500 laps is out of this world phenomenal. So I'm interested to hear how Kyle Larson prepared with his team and the things that they did to create this dominant performance. Well, Kyle, thanks for taking the time to join us this morning. What an absolutely dominant performance at Bristol.

We know you always run well there and enjoy that racetrack, but did you think you would lead 462 laps of the 500? No, absolutely not. I don't think you can ever anticipate like a dominating performance. I knew our car would be really good. It felt good in practice. I felt like the first run of practice, it felt different than normal, like in a good way. And then we kind of adjusted on some things and got it feeling more normal, which was the wrong direction and not comfortable.

So I felt like we had a good plan going into the race. And I thought with the experience that I have of running up front, you know, I could hopefully get to lead fairly early and then just kind of see how the race to play out. But yeah, I mean, it worked out great. We had, you know, lots of lappers in between us every time we came down pit road. So it made your pit road a little bit less stressful and didn't ever have to battle anybody. you're off of pit road and can maintain a lead and then kind of just set your own pace and manage your tires. And I think that allowed me to be pretty good in traffic also. You know, I think it's interesting with what we went through in the spring with all the tire

issues and the tires wearing out, and you go back this time and you could run the tires. Obviously, that's a temperature thing and, you know, what everybody probably expected. Did you guys have many conversations going into this race about the spring race and what you should prepare for this time and did you feel like you needed to be versatile in case it went that way again? Or how did you guys prepare for this particular race knowing what happened in the spring? Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I would say with how well our car was this weekend, we probably didn't, you know, overreact and assume that it was going to be the same thing as it was in the spring.

Because it just seemed like listening to other driver's interviews, it was like, oh, you know, we thought it might be. like it was in spring. That's why we're not as good this time. And for how much we stood out this weekend, I think we probably just more so thought if we had a good handling, you know, balance for Bristol, it would be good in both conditions. And thankfully, it went probably to the condition that, you know, I'm more comfortable with and all that. And I think we would have been fine had it been the other way, probably even better. I think we would have been better than what we were in the spring, which we were pretty good then.

But yeah, I love Bristol how it was this past weekend. I know fans probably don't love seeing somebody lead 462 laps, but I just enjoy being able to run the car hard and you run 500 laps around there aggressively, where sure, I think on TV it looked exciting because, you know, it kind of looked like a speedway race, but that's because we were all running like 50% in the spring. So it was fun this weekend and fun to, I was happy. Once we were practicing and I realized that we were going to be able to race around the top, I was happy because Bristol is so much fun when you run hard.

Yeah, and I think that the top around Bristol is, you know, it's full commitment and high speed. And there's a lot of things that come with that rhythm, whether it's the top or the bottom. The one thing that stuck out to me is how good your car was on the bottom. Do you going into a race where you feel like the groove is going to move to the top, knowing how good you usually are on the top of a racetrack, where you just working on your car on the bottom of the racetrack in practice, trying to make sure it was good there, because it looked to me, even off of the top of the racetrack,

it never looked like you really had to challenge the top of the racetrack because you were so good on the bottom. Yeah, and I think I could have been a lot faster up top. I just think the experience that I have racing, you know, behind, say, you or Kyle Bush, you guys are always really good around the bottom. them. And I feel like you just naturally can save your tires better down there, at least not get them as hot. So, you know, I tried. And not even that I tried. I feel like the last few years, I do spend most of my time around the bottom there. And I don't know, I think I've just

or have learned what that balance seems to feel like in practice and to allow yourself to be good in the race and down there. And yeah, so, you know, I would, I would, I would, move up to lap cars that I needed to that were on the bottom and then I would just get right back down because I felt like that would be better for the long run. So yeah, and it seemed to work out that way. But your car

also has to be able to kind of move around and, you know, our car could do it all this weekend, which was nice. Well, you guys did a phenomenal job. And as I look at this first round, I look at I think I underestimated having Atlanta as the first race, Watkins Glen is the second race, and Bristol

is the third race. But as I go and look at the next round, you know, I look at Kansas as like, all right, you know, that's, that's kind of a straightforward mile and a half racetrack, and then you have Talladega and the Roval. Obviously, you guys have been really good at Kansas. Is that, is that a pretty big emphasis for you guys? I know they all are, but controlling the things that you can control at Kansas seem to be a lot more controllable than the other two places. Is that the focus to try to maximize and go there and win? Like I know that you're going to tell me, you're going to want to win it everyone, and you can. but it seems like Kansas might be that place that is a little more straightforward.

Yeah, definitely. I think for team prep and even prep on my end, I mean, I don't think I put any more emphasis on any race over another one. But based off past history and being a race that you know you can control your own destiny a little bit more for Kansas and having it start the round rather than in the round, you know, it definitely puts more you know, importance, I guess, on knowing that I can, like, go there and hopefully start the round off good, get good stage points and hopefully get a good finish. I think right now we start the round maybe plus 35 or something or 39.

I don't remember over the cut. Like, if we could be plus 50-something, you know, going into Talladega, I would feel much better. But still, I mean, that doesn't keep you out of trouble. from the roval or anything. But yeah, so I would rather start the round with a track that we're familiar with, or not familiar with, but have better results and can control your own destiny. Well, you guys will figure it out. You guys have just been on point pretty much all year. So we had Zach Brown on the show this last week, and he was, that's the first time I've talked to Zach, and he was an absolutely phenomenal interview and a very creative mind.

and the cool part of, I thought it was cool, because we all want to see you do it. He said he thought that we would see you in an F1 car at some point. So is that something that you think you can manage your time a little bit enough so we can all get the thrill of watching you drive that F1 car at some point? I mean, yeah, I would love to do it for sure. And it sounds like, you know, hopefully down the road I'll get to. I think it was an option this year.

I just have so much going on. It's like something that I need to plan probably a year in advance or more. But I would like to. But honestly, I would really, I would rather do it, you know, on one of those open test style deals. Like after Abu Dhabi, you know, when other drivers are on the track too, which, I mean, I don't even know if I'm allowed to because I don't know if you have to have like a super license or whatnot. But, you know, I think that driver's, you know, I think that driver. swaps are really cool but you don't really have like a bar you don't have a gauge of you know where you stack up to others who do it um so you you know it'd be fun to do that with Oscar or

Lando or whoever but i would love to strap in you know with 19 other cars out there and and like really see where you're out on the speed charts you know i don't obviously i don't think that i would be the best but i would hope to not be last and you know i think you know i think that would, I think that would show, you know, how, how good American oval races are and, you know, that'd be neat. Or if I was really bad, then it would just show how bad we are and how to stop we are over here. That's the thing. That's the thing I love about you is you're not, you're not scared to go and do something that you might, we all think that you'd be great at it, but if you're not, you're just shrug it off and go to the next one. So I think that's something

that I think you've taught me to kind of step out of the box and say, it's okay. to go try something, even if it's not successful, go back again and if you're having a good time. So it's fun to watch you bounce around the different cars. We appreciate you taking the time today, and we wish you luck as you go forward. Yeah, thanks for having me on. Hopefully I can win more often and get on here a little bit more.

Perfect. You're welcome anytime. Thank you.