CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Larson will return to late model competition next week when he makes his World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series debut during the Last Call event at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
Pulling double duty at the Last Call, the 28-year old Larson will again drive the K&L Rumley Enterprises No. 6 Longhorn Chassis on Nov. 4-5 before jumping in the Paul Silva No. 57 sprint car for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series portion of the Last Call on Nov. 6-7.
This will not be Larson’s first start in a dirt late model. In August, he stunned the nation during his dirt late model debut with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway. Following a fifth-place outing in his first race, Larson went on to win the weekend finale over Brandon Sheppard.
“The late model has been a fun challenge,” said Larson, who has 42 dirt racing victories this year. “It’s so much of a different feel than anything I’ve ever driven before. They have a lot of grip, until they don’t and that’s when they become a struggle. I still don’t feel comfortable at all in them. I know I’ve still got a ton left to learn and figure out.”
On top of his natural ability, which he’s shown being successful in sprint cars, midgets, Silver Crown, and now late models, the six-time NASCAR Cup Series winner has the added advantage of Kevin & Lee Roy Rumley in his corner.
With Lee Roy Rumley, an iconic owner involved in motorsports since 1956, and son Kevin Rumley, a UNC-Charlotte Mechanical Engineering graduate, Larson walked into the perfect situation. Kevin Rumley, the founder of Rumley Engineering, has most recently been known for his success with stars Jonathan Davenport, Tim McCreadie, and Mike Marlar, along with his work at Longhorn Chassis.
From the very beginning, Rumley knew Larson was going to be special.
“I knew the first lap when we tested at Cherokee that we could go and out win,” Kevin Rumley noted on Larson’s potential. “He’s like the modern-day A.J. Foyrt or Mario Andretti. I think he could probably win in anything he gets in.”
“I’ve enjoyed working with the Rumley’s a lot,” Larson said on his pairing with K&L Enterprises. “The crew is full of great people and Kevin is just extremely smart. Being around him and listing to his ideas is really cool. Stepping back and trying to be a student again like talking to other drivers has been great too. Everyone has been really helpful honestly.
To continue his stellar season, Larson will not only have to beat the likes of World of Outlaws stars like Sheppard, Scott Bloomquist, Ricky Weiss, Cade Dillard, Darrell Lanigan and Chase Junghans, but also the invaders coming to town such as Brandon Overton, Jimmy Owens, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, Josh Richards, Chris Madden and more.
Just last week, Larson and Rumley, along with additional teams such as Rocket1 Racing and Team Zero, had the chance to go testing at The Dirt Track at Charlotte and pad their notebook heading into the season-ending Last Call.
“I’m excited to get to racing at Charlotte after getting some test laps,” Larson stated. “I think if we can qualify well we can have a good couple of nights, that will be the key.”