By JENNA FRYER
Related Press
DAYTONA BEACH — The profitable for the Larson household hasn’t slowed down initially of 2025 as former NASCAR champion Kyle Larson watched his son, Owen, lead his group to victory within the Daytona 500’s annual prerace fishing match.
The ten-year-old pulled a 4.58-pound fish from Lake Lloyd situated inside Daytona Worldwide Speedway to place the Larson group on prime. Basking within the celebratory second, Owen didn’t like his dad’s possibilities of incomes his personal celebration with a Daytona 500 victory.
“He most likely has to strive actually onerous as a result of he’s not good at superspeedways,” stated Owen, who added that his father is dangerous at drafting by site visitors however had no recommendation for enchancment.
“I’ve really by no means drafted in my life,” he stated.
Larson will attempt to snap a 0-for-11 skid in “The Nice American Race” on Sunday, and The Related Press will likely be embedded together with his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports group.
Daytona has by no means been good to Larson regardless of three poles. He’s really 0 for 21 within the Cup Sequence with 9 DNFs, and his Daytona nationwide collection debut was horrible: Larson flew into the fence on the ultimate lap of the 2013 Xfinity Sequence race and demolished his automotive.
However Larson has began this 12 months on a sizzling streak with wins in dash vehicles in Australia, the Chili Bowl and his first Gator Trophy at Volusia Speedway Park’s annual DIRTcar Nationals final week earlier than he shifted into Daytona 500 preparations.
“I feel it retains me sharp, for certain. I similar to to race. I type of like to remain within the rhythm of racing,” Larson stated. “I really feel like I’m simply making an attempt to proceed to raised my talents.”
He’s unsure if he can proceed the profitable roll when he begins twenty second on Sunday.
“Everyone in right here needs to win the massive one,” Larson stated. “I feel that is just like the final of the massive ones that I’ve left [to win]. I feel that provides a bit bit extra to it.”
Larson is amongst a slew of NASCAR champions who’ve by no means received the five hundred. This 12 months’s subject contains 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. (0 for 20); two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch (0 for 19); 2012 champion Brad Keselowski (0 for 15); and Hendrick teammate and 2020 champion Chase Elliott (0 for 9).
Busch, who drives for Richard Childress Racing, is coming off the primary winless season of his profession — a drought that price him his NASCAR file of 19 consecutive years with no less than one win.
However he’s not giving up hope forward of Sunday’s race and is taking inspiration from RCR’s storied historical past. The late Dale Earnhardt suffered dozens of heartbreaks within the Daytona 500 earlier than lastly driving RCR’s No. 3 Chevrolet to NASCAR’s prime glory in 1998 on his twentieth strive.
“Twenty years of making an attempt. There was one other storied racer of the previous that received on his twentieth attempt to that was a reasonably large deal,” Busch stated. “He was a former RCR driver, as nicely, so it’d definitely be good to win that race and do it with RCR.”
There’s a big crowd of NASCAR stars who’ve by no means received stock-car racing’s Tremendous Bowl, together with Corridor of Famers Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace.
Larson stated he wasn’t certain how Daytona defeats haunted different drivers, significantly Stewart, who additionally got here up empty in his childhood dream of someday profitable the Indianapolis 500. He famous that the fashion of racing at Daytona, which is so uncommon and requires a lot assist from different drivers and a ton of luck, that drivers right now can settle for that profitable the five hundred is a crapshoot.
“I think about Tony Stewart, who doesn’t have it, doesn’t lose sleep,” Larson stated. “I feel while you take a look at the fashion of racing, particularly these days, the way it’s troublesome to win since you do have numerous luck the place there’s loads out of your management. I feel that helps you sleep at evening should you don’t win.
“I don’t suppose it does something to Tony’s legacy whether or not he’s received the Daytona 500 or not. He’s in each Corridor of Fame that he’s deserving of being in. I don’t suppose it does something to his profession.”
Larson figures his profession resume can be nice with out a Daytona 500 victory. He’s received each different crown jewel: NASCAR’s All-Star race in 2019, 2021 and 2023; the 2021 Coca-Cola 600; the 2023 Southern 500; and the 2024 Brickyard 400.
“Like, I’m not going to lose sleep if I don’t ever win this race, however I nonetheless need to win the race and have that ring and that trophy and be part of the names which have received it,” Larson stated. “However once more, I feel there’s loads else, much more that goes into profitable and numerous luck. It’s not a giant deal.”