Kyle Larson wants to “embarrass” Xfinity drivers and NASCAR

Kyle Larson says he wants to “embarrass” Xfinity drivers and NASCAR as a regulator by dominating its second-tier national series.

Hendrick Motorsports star Larson had a busy schedule over the Bristol weekend, competing in both Trucks and Xfinity series in addition to his primary commitments in the Cup Series.

This was the second time this season that he had competed in all three championships in one weekend, having also attempted a triple at Homestead Miami last month.

The 32-year-old came close to completing a tripleheader sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway, dominating the track in both Xfinity and Cup Series, but he missed out on victory in the Trucks category by less than one second to Chandler Smith.

However, Larson revealed that a desire to become only the second driver after Kyle Busch to score a triple win is not the main reason he races in Xfinity and Truck series on an occasional basis.

Instead, he wants to show Xfinity Series drivers the kind of competition they will face in the top echelon of stock car racing in the future, while simultaneously “embarrassing” NASCAR for not allowing Cup drivers to regularly race in smaller championships.

“In my head when I pick the races the triple is not really the reason why I do it,” he said in Kevin Harvick’s podcast.

“In Xfinity, I do get motivated - and this is going to come across as very cocky - I want to embarrass them honestly.

“I want to embarrass NASCAR a little bit because they just don't let Cup guys run anymore.

“The kids are probably thinking they are in a good spot and they don't know where the bar is really at. So I like to go and run those Xfinity races and get 10-second leads to let them realise they have got a lot of room to improve and it's only better for our sport too.

“When those young guys can compete with Cup guys, they are better suited for the Cup Series when they get there. I want to smash the field when I run Xfinity. That's motivating me for sure.”

Speaking later on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, the 2021 Cup Series champion elaborated on his comments, explaining how racing against Cup drivers in what was then known as the Nationwide Series in the early 2010s helped him prepare for the big stage.

“When I was a full-time Xfinity guy, when Cup guys would run - and they got to run every single week - it really pushed me to become a better race car driver, because I could compare myself to them,” Larson said. 

“I could race behind them, learn from guys like Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth and whoever else. I even raced against Jimmie Johnson in an Xfinity race.

“So I felt like because of that, once Xfinity guys, or even back before me, whatever Busch series or whatever, when they came to Cup, they were ready for Cup because they were competing with Cup guys every Saturday and beating them or getting beat. But regardless they were learning.”

Larson used Ty Gibbs as an example to illustrate the problem in NASCAR’s junior rungs.

While Gibbs won the Xfinity title in his rookie season in 2022 at the age of just 19, he has found the going tough on his step up the Cup Series.

“So Xfinity guys, I don’t feel like [they] are as good as they once were,” he said. “And definitely not as prepared for Cup as they once were.

“That’s why you see a guy like Ty Gibbs. I really like Ty Gibbs. He’s an Xfinity Series champion, but he’s yet to win a race [in the Cup Series]. I think a lot of that comes from just the limits that NASCAR’s put on.”