While Kyle Larson couldn’t make it happen at the Chili Bowl in Tulsa, he was excellent in Vado, New Mexico. On the dirt of Vado Speedway in his Dirt Late Model No. 6 – the NASCAR driver raced to a convincing win on Sunday night.
Pulling off the double was going to be tough. It just speaks to the kind of racer that Larson is that he would even attempt it. His efforts in the Chili Bowl fell short. However, he didn’t give up on the weekend.
Add another one to Kyle Larson’s resume. He picked up the win after going to a backup car on Saturday.
Larson looked great in that backup car and was able to put it in Victory Lane after an up-and-down week on the racetrack, and the map, for the NASCAR champion.
Kyle Larson continues to win races, even in the offseason. At one point this weekend, it looked like he was going to flounder in both events. A wreck in Heat 4 led Larson to drive a backup car. The driver he got into it with, Tyler Stevenson, did not have a backup car and could not continue.
Stevenson was not happy with Larson, and the NASCAR driver was well aware of that.
“Yeah I’m sure [he’s mad],” Larson said after the incident, via FloRacing. Larson attributed his poor move late in that Heat that led to the wreck to “frustration.”
In the Sunday finale, Bobby Pierce cut a tire while leading with seven laps to go and Kyle Larson took full advantage to close out the 50 lap race. He took to the lead and held on to win the Wild West Shootout for the first time in his career.
Most drivers have to be about perfect to beat Larson, and Pierce almost was. A tough break for the dirt racer.
Kyle Larson picks up big win ahead of 2024 season
If this is the start of his year, imagine what he’s got in store for us this NASCAR season. Kyle Larson is going to be a championship favorite again and he will likely make the Championship 4, again.
Larson struggled last season with DNFs. He had 8 on the year and it plagued him at times. Even when he had a fast car, he would make a wrong move, be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or otherwise find himself wrecking.
If the Hendrick driver can keep those DNFs to five or fewer, I truly believe we could see a dominant season from him. Larson has proven time and again that he can win on any kind of track (with superspeedways up for debate). I’d argue he proved himself to be the top short track driver in 2023 with wins at Richmond, Martinsville, and North Wilkesboro.
Kyle Larson got the big win in New Mexico. His other half of the Dirt Double fell short. Is this foreshadowing or just prep for the Indy-Charlotte double that Larson will pull off this May? It won’t be long before he lines up for the Indy 500.
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