It was a grueling weekend for Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports star had lined up a double duty at Iowa Speedway, juggling his NASCAR and dirt racing commitments. However, both his Knoxville Nationals and Cup Series race ambitions fell through. The latter was especially painful, as Larson got tangled in multiple wrecks in the Iowa Corn 350 before finishing 28th. That is what made his latest achievement stand out as a redemption.
After NASCAR visited Iowa, Sprint Cars also followed. A grand week of sprint car racing is coming up at “The Sprint Car Capital of the World.” But before the sprint car stars, including a young prodigy, could make their mark, Kyle Larson grabbed the spotlight.
Kyle Larson staves off a young rival
He could not stave off a lot of rivals on Sunday. From doorslamming his own teammate, Chase Elliott, to falling prey to Christopher Bell’s wreck, many things went wrong for Kyle Larson at Iowa’s Cup Series race. But when he faced 19-year-old Corey Day at Southern Iowa Speedway, he made sure to give his best. The Front Row Challenge took place on Monday night, where a foot race on the frontstretch determined the top-eight starting positions for the main 30-lap event. Sandwiched between the Capitani Classic at Knoxville Raceway and the Knoxville Nationals, the Front Row Challenge rolls out $21,000 – and Kyle Larson did not lose sight of that.
Corey Day finished in runner-up in 2024’s Osky event – unfortunately, he could not upgrade it. Kyle Larson fiercely beat the 19-year-old in a hot battle on Monday night, adding his 5th victory of the Front Row Challenge! FloRacing updated the win on X: “For the 5th time in his career, and 4th in the last five years, @KyleLarsonRacin wins the Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway!”
For the 5th time in his career, and 4th in the last five years, @KyleLarsonRacin wins the Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway!@oskychallenges pic.twitter.com/iB01EqVwTe
— FloRacing (@FloRacing) August 5, 2025
Twenty-six drivers were signed into the FloRacing-streamed event, including heavyweights. They involved recently crowned Kings Royal champ Anthony Macri, World of Outlaws drivers Carson Macedo and Buddy Kofoid, and eight-time 2025 winner Danny Dietrich. Former Front Row Challenge winners like Brian Brown and James McFadden were also there. But all of them had to bow to Kyle Larson’s indomitable charge. With $21,000 in his pocket, Larson will now look forward to The Granddaddy of Them All on Wednesday a half-hour down the road at Knoxville Raceway.
Before Kyle Larson moves on, let us reflect on another motivating factor for his Monday victory.
He yielded to a seasoned sprint car star
Since his 2013 debut in the event, Rico Abreu has paced himself. The St Helena, CA. native has entered the 410 Sprint Car NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals all these years. And each time, Abreu has worked to better his skills on the 1/2-mile oval to win the world’s most prestigious open-wheel race on dirt. In 2025, he finally got it done, fending off none other than three-time Knoxville champion Kyle Larson. Abreu started on the pole and battled with Larson on several restarts. However, the last caution allowed Abreu to throw a slidejob on Larson in Turns 1 and 2 to retake the lead and lead the field back around to the checkered flag.
Rico Abreu won a grand total of $34,000 — $20,000 for the win and an additional $14,000 for 28 total laps led. He beamed at the golden culmination of his efforts: “It’s kind of, hopefully, the turning point of just the consistency of my career and the hard work that we’ve put in as a team. I know we’ve made it a point to come here the last few years and have been close at 410 Nationals the last two years where the effort has really (been) seen on my end of that ability that I think I have what it takes to win the Nationals.” Larson crossed the finish line second, topping his previous best 360 Nationals finish of third in 2013. But it also motivated him to come back stronger in Monday’s Front Row Challenge.
With Kyle Larson’s latest victory, we can only look forward to more glittering wins ahead. Let us see if he can redeem his Iowa misery in the next Cup Series races.
The post Kyle Larson Bags $21,000 Prize After Hard Fought Duel With 19-YO HMS Phenom at Southern Iowa Speedway appeared first on EssentiallySports.
