MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY MEDIA DAY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 13, 2019
Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1, met with members of the media at Daytona 500 Media Day to discuss the upcoming weekend of racing and other topics. Selected quotes:
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO START A NEW YEAR, TO TURN THE PAGE AFTER BEING SO CLOSE MANY TIMES?
“We didn’t get the win last year, but it wasn’t that disappointing of a season. I still ran second six times and probably was the second-best season I’ve had out of the five Cup seasons I’ve run. It’s not one that I want to forget but obviously I’d want to get some wins, so we’re just looking at this season to try to do better than we were last year to put ourselves in position to win more often and hopefully capitalize on those situations. Ready to go and it’s been a short off season for me. I’m excited to be back in a stock car.”
WHAT ARE THE MOMENTS YOU REMEMBER MOST OF THE DAYTONA 500?
“My first Daytona 500 I remember I got in the wall like Lap 2. I got on the splitter, I guess, into Turn 1 and hit the wall and then we had rain delays, so it was just a long Daytona 500 for my first one. Then a couple years ago, almost getting the win, leading the white-flag lap and then running out of fuel in 2 was heartbreaking, but then kind of cool at the same moment kind of knowing that I had a shot and probably would have won the race had I had enough fuel. So, I’m just hoping I have another opportunity in the future to put myself in position to get a win.”
YOU DON’T LOOKK BACK ON THE CRAZY THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN OR HAVE HAPPENED?
“I just kind of take it as another race and usually you know that you’ll have more crazy stuff that happens than good stuff, so you just accept that when you come into a place like this and try not to worry about it either and go out there and try to be lucky but be aggressive at the same time.”
WITH THIS NEW RULES PACKAGE, WILL YOU STILL BE ABLE TO RUN THE HIGH LINE?
“I don’t really have any laps yet, so I don’t know how it’s going to be. I was excited talking with Eric Jones the other days; he said the top was really fast at Atlanta. I think that there will be a lot of places where now you’ll be able to run the top, but, then again, I think that hurts me because everybody will be able to run the top. I feel that as we’ve taken spoiler away from the cars it’s just made it harder for other people, so it kind of opens up a lane for me up there. So, I think the tracks where I’ve had my own line up around the wall, I think it will be easier for other people to run up there. But it could benefit me more than others. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
DO YOU HEAR OTHERS TALK ABOUT THAT?
“I think people think of me as being used to high-horsepower cars and lightweight vehicles and now we have no horsepower and a ton of downforce, so I don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t been in it yet so we could all be wrong. I wouldn’t say I had an advantage with the other stuff. I would say it probably suited me better than what this new package will be, but I’ll just have to wait and see.”
YOU HAVE A NEW TEAMMATE IN KURT BUSCH. HOW IS THAT RELATIONSHIP?
“Honestly, I never really talked to Kurt before; maybe here and there a couple of times throughout the year. Just chit chat if we qualified next to each other and rode in the truck in pre-race. Everybody that I’ve talked to about him that’s been a teammate of his has said that as crazy as he is, he’s a great teammate. He’s been good to work with so far and he has a ton of knowledge and experience, so I’ve enjoyed it and looking forward to getting to other racetracks outside of Daytona so we can learn more off of each other.”
YOU COULDN’T HAVE MORE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES. WILL THAT MESH?
“I think personality-wise, I’ll stay the same. I think work ethic-wise, I think he can push you to be a little bit better, so I’m excited just in that aspect of things. I feel like I do a good job of staying grounded and being who I am. It’s not often that you get to work with a past champion as closely as I get to this year, so I’m very excited about that opportunity.”
YOU HAVE TO BE READY FOR THE SIDE DRAFT. DALE (EARNHARDT) JR. SAID IT’S AS MUCH AS A FOOT
“I think we all feel that in the cars here. A foot is not much. We’re used to it.”
TWO YEARS AGO, YOU HAD A CHANCE TO WIN THIS RACE AND THE GUY WHO WON THE RACE IS NOW YOUR TEAMMATE. IS IT KIND OF FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT?
“I mentioned that the other day (to Busch) that I’ve given you a couple wins in fuel-mileage races. Obviously, Daytona and then Michigan either my first or second year. We tried to stay out when the rain was coming and had to pit. As soon as I came down pit road and then left the road it started dumping, so if I was two laps later, I would have won. I don’t remember whether it was after Daytona or Michigan but we were at a restaurant—he was at one end and I was at the other—and he sent over a beer, and I don’t drink beer, but on the napkin, it said ‘Here’s a little extra fuel,’ so that was pretty funny.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO YOU IF YOU COULD PULL OFF THE WIN SUNDAY?
“It would be huge. I’ve been in Victory Lane a couple of times here, but it’s not the same as what a Cup win here or especially a Daytona 500 win would feel like, so we’ll just try to put ourselves in position and see what we can do. I don’t think you ever know what your emotions will be like until it happens, so hopefully this is the year we can do it or hopefully I get a chance in my career to get a Daytona 500 win.”
HOW BIG IS THE ‘LUCK FACTOR’ IN YOUR EYES?
“I think it’s huge. I haven’t finished many races here, so it takes a lot of luck. Then you have guys who are always in the running to win at all these plate races. They make their own luck. They have fast cars and can position themselves up front the whole races and people are willing to work with them and help. Just have to do a better job or be luckier.”
THIS IS ONE OF THE LONGEST SEASONS IN SPORTS. HOW TO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
“A lot of people would say it’s too long but I’m not going to say it’s too long because I’m racing before the season starts and I’m racing after the season ends, so I’m not the guy to judge the schedule. If it was shorter, I would just go race more sprint car races because I would be racing 100 times instead of 70.”
KURT BUSCH SAID HE’S LOOKING FORWARD TO STUDYING YOU ON THE TRACK, THE THINGS YOU DO WITH THE CAR. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO LOOKING AT WHAT KURT DOES?
“Last year we were able to look at that stuff through the SMT data. Getting to work closer with him and ask him questions of why maybe he’s doing this differently than me or whatever will be good. I guess I’ve always had the opportunity to ask him that kind of stuff, but I haven’t been close to him or in the same hauler to feel like I could ask him. I’m going to try and soak up as much information as I can from him.”
DALE EARNHARDT, JR. MENTIONED YOUR NAME ABOUT COMPETING IN SO MANY DIFFERENT SERIES. YOU’RE KIND OF SPREADING THE MESSAGE AROUND. DO YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY?
“I’m just glad that they feel the same way finally. It’s nice that they support all the extra racing that I do. I get that question a lot, do I do it to grow the sport? I don’t really think about when I’m off at a dirt track or anything like that, I’m not thinking about trying to help motorsports or grow motorsports. I love motorsports, so that’s why I do it. I feel like I make an impact a little bit, and it’s not just me. There are a lot of other guys. I feel like we all do a good job of cross-promoting between sprint cars or dirt track racing and NASCAR. I feel like for a minute we lost touch on the grassroots fan and I think the last three years, four years dirt racing has grown some that it’s added excitement to the NASCAR scene and vice versa. I just love to race. If I can do anything to grow racing in general, I’m all for it.”