If you told us after the Homestead-Miami weekend that Yung Money would attempt the triple-header once again, most fans would think that Larson could have made it. After all, looking at his last Bristol Cup race, the one where he led 462 laps, The Last Great Colosseum would be the perfect place to attempt it. However, this time, instead of the Xfinity Series, it was Chandler Smith stopping him in the Trucks.
His domination evoked memories of the early 2000s when Cup drivers regularly descended upon Xfinity races, leaving series regulars fighting for scraps. But unlike those days of quiet acceptance, Larson’s candidness about his motivation has ignited a surprising groundswell of support among NASCAR’s passionate fan base.
The April 2025 Bristol Motor Speedway weekend witnessed Larson’s absolute dominance, leading 411 of 500 laps in Sunday’s Cup race after commanding 276 of 300 laps in Saturday’s Xfinity event. Following his Bristol sweep of the Xfinity and Cup Series races, Larson appeared on Kevin Harvick’s ‘Happy Hour’, where he dropped what he called a big revelation.
He said, “In Xfinity, I do get motiviated, and this is going to come across like very cocky, but I want to embarrass them, honestly. I want to embarrass NASCAR a little bit because they just don’t let Cup guys run anymore, and the kids they probably think they’re in a good spot, and they don’t know where the bar is really at, so I like to go run those Xfinity races and get 10-second leads to let them realize that they’ve got a lot of room to improve, and I think that’s only better for our sport.”
Kyle Larson tells @KevinHarvick he runs Xfinity Series races to embarrass the competition … and NASCAR. pic.twitter.com/hBjn95ad7R
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) April 14, 2025
Over numerous years, the relationship between NASCAR and Cup drivers competing in lower series events has remained disputable. The 2017 rule changes by NASCAR restricted Cup drivers from competing in qualifying events of both the Xfinity and Truck Series. Today, NASCAR places an 8-race annual limit on Cup drivers in Xfinity and Truck Series events, despite the former norm where Kyle Busch took part in more than 20 Xfinity races yearly. At the time, Rowdy even had a sponsor lined up for his Xfinity outings. That was one of the most disappointing parts of not being able to race in the second and third tier, as he went on to explain.
“It is what it is. That’s what the rules are. Right now, myself and Joe Gibbs Racing, we’ve got to go to our partners and re-evaluate where we’re at and what we’re going to do. I’m 100 percent certain we’re going to run those 10 races that we’re allowed to. … We had a deal in place and now those contracts are null and void and have to change,” Busch said, lamenting how it restricted an opportunity to bring in sponsors.
But is that all there is to the story? Not exactly. Dale Jr. took notice of these comments and highlighted a different side to things. “I would also argue that it’s not a good business model for teams that are trying to compete in the series and trying to make a living doing it…If Hendrick, Joe Gibbs, Penske – any of those top Cup teams fill one or two Xfinity cars with a Cup driver on a very regular basis, you’re talking about maybe on an average 5 or 6 spots less of purse money that all of the other regular teams are going to have to miss, right? … That really adds up. It would affect everything.”
As for the fans, they are on Larson’s side.
Cup Star’s “Embarrassment” Mission Finds Surprising Support Among Racing Faithful
“I always liked the Cup drivers competing in the lower series. What I DIDN’T like is when there were like 15 of them and regulars or the local guy trying to get his shot had to go home,” wrote one fan in response to Kyle Larson’s comments. The fan’s comment recognises that Larson’s participation, when limited, actually adds value by setting a performance benchmark while not overwhelming the field with Cup regulars. Statistics support this view: in 2016, before the restrictions, Cup drivers won 19 of 33 Xfinity races, compared to just 7 of 33 in 2023.
Another fan suggested a compromise: “I think, instead of limiting the number of races a Cup drivers can compete in, they just say there are X spots open for Cup drivers and fill it based on how they qualify.” This innovative approach would maintain the presence of Cup stars while ensuring roster spots for series regulars. The comment continued, “And hell with it…start em at the back,” reflecting the view that Cup drivers should face additional challenges to level the playing field. This proposal echoes NASCAR’s previous attempts to balance competition, such as the 2018-2021 rule preventing Cup playoff drivers from participating in regular-season finale races in lower series.
“I like this just from a pettiness standpoint lol,” wrote a third fan, capturing the undercurrent of satisfaction many feel at Larson’s blunt challenge to NASCAR’s policies. Fan reaction culminated with widespread increased respect for Larson’s honesty: “I gotta say, that increases my respect of Larson big time.” This sentiment was echoed across social media platforms, as fans appreciated the 2021 Cup champion’s willingness to voice an unpopular opinion among NASCAR executives. Larson’s 31 Cup victories (ranking him 30th all-time and 5th among active drivers) give significant weight to his perspective. His Bristol performance—maintaining a 10-second lead (approximately three-quarters of a lap) during the Xfinity race—provided compelling evidence that his presence indeed establishes a performance standard that benefits younger drivers by showing them “where the bar really is at.”
As NASCAR heads into its Easter break weekend with Kyle Larson planning to compete in Sprint Cars at Knoxville, followed by an appearance at WrestleMania in Las Vegas, the conversation his comments sparked continues to reverberate throughout the racing community. For a sport constantly balancing tradition with innovation, Larson’s explosive confession might just be the catalyst for reconsidering how best to develop the next generation of Cup Series champions.
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