Kyle Larson (Michael Moats Photo)
When we were watching NASCAR decades ago Dale Earnhardt was why we watched. Some of us loved him while others watched to rejoice when he didn’t win; however, it seemed like we all watched.
There is another driver now doing well and like Earnhardt he is just as engaging at dirt tracks and asphalt alike. His name is Kyle Larson. During the pandemic we watched him run electronic races with all of NASCAR ‘s technology in use. This electronic racing, powered by iRacing was all we had and many enjoyed watching it while confined in our homes. Larson made a comment that inevitably got him kicked out of physical NASCAR during one of those events.
Larson then went to the dirt to continue his career and became the hottest driver on the planet. He won literally almost every race he entered and it didn’t matter if it was a dirt late model or sprint car. He just won. Along the way, he found that he was becoming more popular than ever. He treated his fans wisely with respect, gratitude and built up a huge following.
When NASCAR finally broke through the pandemic chains Larson quickly was given a second chance and like or it or not, he excelled.
Currently Larson is without question the hottest driver on both asphalt and dirt. NASCAR fans have accepted him back and a lot of the dirt fans have returned to NASCAR just to watch him, sound familiar?
Earnhardt was great with his fans and his driving success made NASCAR more interesting and Larson is doing much the same right before our eyes. Larson has rabid fans and some that, quite frankly, like to see him fail. This too sounds familiar.
Regardless if you see Larson as the new Earnhardt (or not) one thing is certain; more people watch NASCAR now just to see how the dirt driver is doing against the so-called best drivers in America. He has risen from the worst time in his life to become NASCAR royalty and it seems that he is here to stay and while doing so is becoming a driver who dominates just like that “other” driver.
Is he just like Earnhardt senior? Well no. He is Kyle Larson and he’s going to be around for a while. Get used to it.
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