NASCAR Champ Kyle Larson on Being The Comeback Kid

Side-by-side. Down the back stretch for the final time. Kyle Larson a year ago watched the race from North Carolina. Today, he's a Cup Series champion. Oh my god, guys. Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion. That has a fantastic ring to it. How does it feel to own that title?

Yeah, it feels great. It's uh, it's definitely been an awesome couple days knowing that we're the champions of, of the top sport in American Auto Racing. So, uh, happy to be calling myself a champion and, um, look forward to the rest of the festivities over these next few weeks.

How have the festivities gone over the past 24 hours, 48 hours? You're done crying, which is great. You've had a lot of emotion going.

It's been fun. We we've got to finally go out and enjoy it with my team and Scottdale after race Sunday night, but we we were able to come to Los Angeles, uh, sit courtside at the Lakers game last night, which was really cool. Um, so thanks to NASCAR and everybody at the Lakers for setting that up. And then today's been a busy day of lots of interviews and pictures and stuff here at the LA Coliseum and, yeah, and we'll, uh, sure have some more interviews throughout the next coming weeks and then lead into the banquet at Nashville.

Well, of course you brought it up. You're in LA. Welcome to Los Angeles and, yes, you mentioned you're at the Coliseum right now because there's a little event coming up in February, which I know you'll be a part of. Tell me about it.

Yeah, we're uh, we've been here to talk about the championship but also promoting the, uh, Bush Light clash in February. So, yeah, it'll be really neat. Um, yeah, this place as you can see behind me, uh, sold out crowd and just imagine a, you know, a nice oval track there in the middle where the football field is. It's going to be an unreal atmosphere. So, um, I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's going to be some great racing. Um, but more than anything, it's going to be a fun event.

You're a California native. Have you been there before? This was your first time?

Yeah, I've never been here before. Uh, grew up in Northern California, so I really didn't make it down to So Cal very often, but, uh, I'm excited to race here in my home state in front of hopefully a lot of my friends and family.

Okay, I'm going to reward you with a little game. It'll take two seconds. You'll have some fun and it's red to match your background. Never have I ever.

Oh boy.

Yeah. Listen, you're you're still a young kid. You can play games like this. You ready?

Yep.

Never have I ever lied about my occupation. You ever meet someone, they don't know who you are and you're like, yeah, I do this for a living.

Uh, yeah, I've lied, for sure.

Objected at a wedding ceremony.

No.

Yeah. Driven off with the gas pump hose still attached to my car.

Never. Nope.

I actually went through some of these, found the PG G ones. Uh, jumped out of a car while it was still moving. I I highly doubt that. I hope not. Danced on a table at a wedding.

At a wedding? No.

Someone else? Yeah. After you won the championship, right? Yeah. Uh, here we go. Made a cheesy mixtape for someone.

No. No.

Spiked the punch.

Uh, no, I don't think so.

Had more than one speeding ticket in one day.

No, never in one day. Maybe one week.

Good answer. Oh, seen a porta potty race.

Nope. Uh, no. Nope.

Ridden in a closed trunk of a car.

Yep. I have. Denny's Tesla in the front. That's a fun story.

Eaten a whole gallon of ice cream at once?

Never.

Never? Not even like the little ones?

Yeah. Um, no. No.

You're in good shape, why would you? Uh, known someone in the Mafia.

Maybe. If I, maybe. I don't know.

Yeah. Ridden on the outside of a moving vehicle. Doubt it. Maybe. Maybe. You've done everything with cars, so I'm assuming maybe. Had a fake ID taken away by a bouncer. Not that one out. Been scalded by a hot pocket. Do you even know what a hot pocket is?

Yeah. No. Uh, maybe. Maybe.

Bought a concert ticket that ended up being fake or invalid.

I don't think so. No.

But you've been to concerts before. The IndyCar champion had never been to a concert like literally, uh, I was like, oh, what have you? You know.

Yeah, I've been to I've been to a handful. My first was Janet Jackson, back in the day.

Woo, nice. This is, uh, Rafa Nadal style. Been caught picking a wedgie in public.

I'm sure I have. Yeah, my wife catches me all the time.

Nice. Oh, she must be so happy for you and your kids. Yay. I love it. I love it. Uh, lost my cell phone more than twice in one weekend.

Probably. Maybe.

Appeared as an extra in a movie or a TV show.

Yeah, yeah, I have. Uh, Logan Lucky was one. So that was that was fun.

Okay, you brought up the banquet, uh, a few minutes ago and I have to show you a picture. I don't even know if you remember, but this was back, it says December 3rd, 2014, back when I worked for NASCAR, it was the banquet in Vegas. You were at the hotel bar with like tons of NASCAR professionals and drivers and and all of the execs. And I thought of you as almost like a little brother type. Uh, so going back all the way then to now, what's the journey been like for you? The ups, the downs, going back to that kid. Could you have imagined where you are now?

Yeah, I don't know if I could have imagined where I'm at right now. I'm being a NASCAR champion. It's definitely been a, uh, you know, a lot of ups and downs, but, uh, a lot of hard work to get to this point. So, just thankful for every opportunity I've been given and and, you know, very happy that I can call myself a champion now.

You're a champion coming off of that year where you had your little hiccup and a suspension, but this is the comeback, an epic comeback in sports history. So, how does that make you feel too, to just know that you came back even stronger than ever personally and professionally?

Yeah, thank you. It's definitely, you know, these last 18 months have not been easy. Um, you know, lots of lots of low moments but then, you know, I feel like it we were, I was able to grow from it both personally and professionally and to be, you know, given a second chance in the Cup Series, it's something I'm grateful for and just you're thankful that I was able to reward everybody who was a supporter of mine with the championship.