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NEWTON — Kyle Larson's beach is the famed dirt track at Knoxville Raceway.
While other Cup Series regulars chill on beaches during the lone off week for NASCAR's premier series between Feb. 16 and Nov. 2, Larson felt drawn to a small Iowa town, like thousands of cyclists do every summer.
Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, won his 31st race during the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tennessee, on April 13. He also won at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 23.
Larson will race April 18-19 in the World of Outlaws Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway. On April 18 Larson spoke with reporters at Iowa Speedway ahead of the Cup Series' Iowa Corn 350, scheduled for Aug. 3. He also won the Knoxville Nationals in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Larson said he could not turn down the chance to practice for this year's Knoxville Nationals, the most prestigious dirt-track race in the country.
"I just love racing," Larson said. "That's why I'm spending my off weekend racing some more. The most important part of that is racing at Knoxville this weekend. We can get ready for the biggest sprint car race that there is. If it was just a track that didn't have a big race, I probably would be at a beach. But I feel like it's really important to get laps there."
Larson made a pit stop in Iowa less than a month before attempting the "Double" by running both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 25 for the second straight year. Last year his plans were foiled after he finished 18th during the rain-delayed Indy 500; he failed to make it to Charlotte before the Coke 600 ended early because of rain.
On April 23-24 Larson will test his Indianapolis 500 car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Practice for the Indy 500 will begin on May 13 and starts a dizzying two-week stretch in which he will use helicopters, planes and cars to shuttle between Indianapolis; Wilkes County, North Carolina; and Charlotte to run the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 18 and both the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on May 25.
Under cloudy and misty skies April 18, Larson said he simply hopes to run both races.
"I'm just excited to get back to IndyCar," Larson said. "It's the biggest race in the world and cool to be part of that. Hopefully we get some good weather and get to do both races this year."
Larson drove reporters around the Iowa Speedway track April 18 in a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette. He took racing line, braking at the end of the front stretch high into Turn 1, decelerating low into Turn 2 and high at the exit of 2 onto the backstretch. Larson went as fast as 110 mph.
Last year NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, who designed the track, said he wanted to make Iowa Speedway feel a little like Richmond's 3/4 mile track. In June Larson won the pole for the first Iowa Corn 350, the first NASCAR Cup Series race in Iowa since 1953. He led 80 laps before spinning on the front stretch on Lap 218.
As Larson entered Turn 3 during one lap in the Corvette, he said the track is similar to Richmond, but it doesn't feel exactly like it.
"It's way wider than Richmond, just faster," Larson said. "Just better. It feels like an intermediate style track, but short, but still fast. I like this place. They did a good job with it."
Larson loves Iowa and the speedway, but Knoxville is the thing he loves the most. The facility is uniquely Iowan, sitting in the middle of a small town across from a Casey's store and a Hy-Vee.
"The dirt in the Midwest, but especially at Knoxville, is really good," Larson said. "The track prep crew does a great job. Then the facility is the best there is in sprint car racing with the (Sprint Car) Hall of Fame and the suites and large grandstands."
Iowa Speedway president Eric Peterson took the Iowa Cubs' Cubbie Bear mascot for a ride in a Corvette. But the mascot had trouble fitting the foam head in.
"That's a first for me," Peterson joked.
Peterson also showed off areas where the track made improvements. Four new "Crossover" gates will allow fans to enter the track from grandstands during pre-race festivities and bring the number of crossover gates to six, Peterson said. Fan areas on the Midway outside the track were also expanded. A concert will be held after the Xfinity Series Race on Aug. 2 and a pre-race concert on Aug. 3 will also be held, he said.
NASCAR will hold a fan fest in Des Moines on July 31, he said.
Last year NASCAR, which owns the track, partially repaved all four corners of the 7/8-mile track. Straightaways on the front stretch and back stretch retained their original pavement from 2006. Through both the NASCAR Cup Series weekend in June and the NTT IndyCar Series weekend in July, the partial repave drew mixed reviews from drivers in both series. Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward said in July the repave "ruined a fantastic race."
Peterson said the track was partially repaved because without it, potholes could have formed.
"We did it from purely a safety perspective because there would have been pieces (of the track) flying all over the place if we hadn't done that."
Now all four corners fade from a dark black to a shade of gray not much darker than the original pavement. Before last year's race Larson and others worried that the repave would limit drivers' ability to pass. Instead drivers had two and and a half lanes to pass and the track put on one of the best short-track races of the last three years.
Larson said he was surprised at how much passing happened because repaves typically make it hard to pass. He was happy track management did not pave more of the track.
"We'll see. Once we get out there in the actual cars to see if it will gain grip. Sometimes (repaves) gain a little bit of grip early on. But either way, I don't think it's going to race way different than it did," Larson said.
Goodyear will hold a tire test in late May to determine which tire to use for the race, Peterson said.
"From a Cup perspective, I'll know more after that first tire test," Peterson said. "We were speculating what a repave meant and it was totally different than what we expected."
Matt Humphrey, a communications manager for NASCAR, said that the Cup Series race has only a few hundred tickets left to sell and will likely sell out within the next couple of weeks. NASCAR anticipates that all tickets to the ARCA Menards Series race on Aug. 1 and the Xfinity Series race on Aug. 2 will sell out, Humphrey said.
Last year, tickets to all three days of the Cup Series Weekend sold out, blowing away NASCAR's expectations for the events.
This year's Knoxville Nationals will be held Aug. 6-9, the weekend after the Cup Series races in Iowa. The Cup Series will be at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York.
But Larson plans to run the Knoxville Nationals as well, he said. Watkins Glen does not have lights. And Larson has had to travel "far" before to run the Knoxville Nationals, he said.
"I haven't seen the schedules as far as timing and all that, but I imagine ... everything will be pretty early and will allow me enough time to get here."
Larson may race in the 360 Nationals (one class below the top-class 410s) during the Cup Series weekend at Iowa. The Knoxville Nationals mean everything to him, he said.
"You want to win the big ones and it doesn't get any bigger than Knoxville," Larson said.
Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and motorsports for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Kyle Larson turns laps at Iowa Speedway during NASCAR off-week
Continue reading...
While other Cup Series regulars chill on beaches during the lone off week for NASCAR's premier series between Feb. 16 and Nov. 2, Larson felt drawn to a small Iowa town, like thousands of cyclists do every summer.
Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, won his 31st race during the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tennessee, on April 13. He also won at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 23.
Larson will race April 18-19 in the World of Outlaws Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway. On April 18 Larson spoke with reporters at Iowa Speedway ahead of the Cup Series' Iowa Corn 350, scheduled for Aug. 3. He also won the Knoxville Nationals in 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Larson said he could not turn down the chance to practice for this year's Knoxville Nationals, the most prestigious dirt-track race in the country.
"I just love racing," Larson said. "That's why I'm spending my off weekend racing some more. The most important part of that is racing at Knoxville this weekend. We can get ready for the biggest sprint car race that there is. If it was just a track that didn't have a big race, I probably would be at a beach. But I feel like it's really important to get laps there."
Larson made a pit stop in Iowa less than a month before attempting the "Double" by running both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, North Carolina, on May 25 for the second straight year. Last year his plans were foiled after he finished 18th during the rain-delayed Indy 500; he failed to make it to Charlotte before the Coke 600 ended early because of rain.
On April 23-24 Larson will test his Indianapolis 500 car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Practice for the Indy 500 will begin on May 13 and starts a dizzying two-week stretch in which he will use helicopters, planes and cars to shuttle between Indianapolis; Wilkes County, North Carolina; and Charlotte to run the NASCAR All-Star Race on May 18 and both the Indy 500 and Coke 600 on May 25.
Under cloudy and misty skies April 18, Larson said he simply hopes to run both races.
"I'm just excited to get back to IndyCar," Larson said. "It's the biggest race in the world and cool to be part of that. Hopefully we get some good weather and get to do both races this year."
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'They did a good job with it.'
Larson drove reporters around the Iowa Speedway track April 18 in a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette. He took racing line, braking at the end of the front stretch high into Turn 1, decelerating low into Turn 2 and high at the exit of 2 onto the backstretch. Larson went as fast as 110 mph.
Last year NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, who designed the track, said he wanted to make Iowa Speedway feel a little like Richmond's 3/4 mile track. In June Larson won the pole for the first Iowa Corn 350, the first NASCAR Cup Series race in Iowa since 1953. He led 80 laps before spinning on the front stretch on Lap 218.
As Larson entered Turn 3 during one lap in the Corvette, he said the track is similar to Richmond, but it doesn't feel exactly like it.
"It's way wider than Richmond, just faster," Larson said. "Just better. It feels like an intermediate style track, but short, but still fast. I like this place. They did a good job with it."
You must be registered for see images
Larson loves Iowa and the speedway, but Knoxville is the thing he loves the most. The facility is uniquely Iowan, sitting in the middle of a small town across from a Casey's store and a Hy-Vee.
"The dirt in the Midwest, but especially at Knoxville, is really good," Larson said. "The track prep crew does a great job. Then the facility is the best there is in sprint car racing with the (Sprint Car) Hall of Fame and the suites and large grandstands."
Iowa Speedway president Eric Peterson took the Iowa Cubs' Cubbie Bear mascot for a ride in a Corvette. But the mascot had trouble fitting the foam head in.
"That's a first for me," Peterson joked.
Peterson also showed off areas where the track made improvements. Four new "Crossover" gates will allow fans to enter the track from grandstands during pre-race festivities and bring the number of crossover gates to six, Peterson said. Fan areas on the Midway outside the track were also expanded. A concert will be held after the Xfinity Series Race on Aug. 2 and a pre-race concert on Aug. 3 will also be held, he said.
NASCAR will hold a fan fest in Des Moines on July 31, he said.
Repave ages in
Last year NASCAR, which owns the track, partially repaved all four corners of the 7/8-mile track. Straightaways on the front stretch and back stretch retained their original pavement from 2006. Through both the NASCAR Cup Series weekend in June and the NTT IndyCar Series weekend in July, the partial repave drew mixed reviews from drivers in both series. Arrow McLaren driver Pato O'Ward said in July the repave "ruined a fantastic race."
Peterson said the track was partially repaved because without it, potholes could have formed.
"We did it from purely a safety perspective because there would have been pieces (of the track) flying all over the place if we hadn't done that."
Now all four corners fade from a dark black to a shade of gray not much darker than the original pavement. Before last year's race Larson and others worried that the repave would limit drivers' ability to pass. Instead drivers had two and and a half lanes to pass and the track put on one of the best short-track races of the last three years.
Larson said he was surprised at how much passing happened because repaves typically make it hard to pass. He was happy track management did not pave more of the track.
"We'll see. Once we get out there in the actual cars to see if it will gain grip. Sometimes (repaves) gain a little bit of grip early on. But either way, I don't think it's going to race way different than it did," Larson said.
Goodyear will hold a tire test in late May to determine which tire to use for the race, Peterson said.
"From a Cup perspective, I'll know more after that first tire test," Peterson said. "We were speculating what a repave meant and it was totally different than what we expected."
Matt Humphrey, a communications manager for NASCAR, said that the Cup Series race has only a few hundred tickets left to sell and will likely sell out within the next couple of weeks. NASCAR anticipates that all tickets to the ARCA Menards Series race on Aug. 1 and the Xfinity Series race on Aug. 2 will sell out, Humphrey said.
Last year, tickets to all three days of the Cup Series Weekend sold out, blowing away NASCAR's expectations for the events.
Larson plans to defend Knoxville Nationals title
This year's Knoxville Nationals will be held Aug. 6-9, the weekend after the Cup Series races in Iowa. The Cup Series will be at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York.
But Larson plans to run the Knoxville Nationals as well, he said. Watkins Glen does not have lights. And Larson has had to travel "far" before to run the Knoxville Nationals, he said.
You must be registered for see images attach
"I haven't seen the schedules as far as timing and all that, but I imagine ... everything will be pretty early and will allow me enough time to get here."
Larson may race in the 360 Nationals (one class below the top-class 410s) during the Cup Series weekend at Iowa. The Knoxville Nationals mean everything to him, he said.
"You want to win the big ones and it doesn't get any bigger than Knoxville," Larson said.
Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and motorsports for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Kyle Larson turns laps at Iowa Speedway during NASCAR off-week
Continue reading...
