KL: No, they‘re way different than anything…I‘ve driven a lot of cars and there‘s nothing that compares to the way that they drive. So, I feel like the more I run them, the more confused I get about them. And, I think my results have shown that‘s the case as well. So, at Port Royal we were really good and I felt comfortable, and it felt almost like a Silver Crown car to me. But, since then, I don‘t know what I‘m doing (laughs).
It‘s a fun challenge, though. I‘m definitely dedicated to figuring it out. I want to be competitive each night. It‘s just, it‘s definitely gonna take a lot of work. I can run really fast. Shoot, I think I‘m probably one of the fastest by myself. But, it‘s just, when I get battling people or having to change up running the same line every lap and then do something different is when I just get really confused and just kinda out of control.
SC&M: You also announced that Kyle Larson Racing has come to an end. How much can you say about that, and is that something that someday you‘d like to bring back or is that something you feel you‘ve done and you‘re moving on from?
KL: I don‘t know. I had a lot of fun doing it with Justin Marks in the beginning. It was really his idea to get started, and then he got out of it and I took it over and got to bring Carson Macedo along. That was kind of my main goal of being an owner, was to always give a young guy an opportunity who was very deserving of it, and Carson was that guy. And, he did an amazing job. And then, with the way everything went down with me this year, it just wasn‘t going to make sense to continue on the ownership side of things. And I hate that, ‘cause I enjoyed it and it gave me something to watch on the weekends when I‘m not at the NASCAR races.
But I also wasn‘t racing that much dirt stuff myself. So, it was a way for me to stay involved in dirt track racing. Well, I‘ve been able to race a lot more in dirt since the beginning of my ownership days and I feel like I‘ve been able to…I feel like most fans kind of think of me in the dirt car as a driver myself, and not really an owner. So, I‘m able to stay involved, and I‘ll continue to race with Paul Silva next year. So, I think that also helps me stay close to my fanbase and things like that. So, I hate that I had to get rid of the team, but I‘m thankful that it worked out for Carson. And, who knows, maybe someday I would do it again, but it‘s hard to tell the future.
SC&M: This was an amazing year for you in sprint cars and midgets. But, if you go back to 2011, which was really your breakout year, that was also an amazing season for you and you won a lot of big races. Did you feel any similarities with the kind of mental zone you were in this year to the zone you were in back during that year in 2011?
KL: It‘s hard for me to remember, really, what my mindset was back then. It was totally different for me. I‘m just a different person than I was back then, you know? Back then, I hadn‘t even had a girlfriend yet (laughs). And then now, you fast forward to 2020, I‘ve got a wife and two kids, so everything about the year is different. Yeah, I won big races then too, but this year I was doing it different, driving up and down the road in my own motorhome with my wife and my kids. So, yeah, I think it was a different…probably, overall, way different mindset this year than that year. And I‘ve got way more experience now than I did then, so I would assume my confidence this year was probably way higher.
I think probably 2011 everything was kind of a surprise to me. I know I didn‘t expect to win all three races at Eldora (the 4-Crown), I didn‘t expect to sweep the Belleville Midget Nationals, I didn‘t expect to win Gold Cup, things like that. Where I think this year going to the track, now that I have won so many races, I know that I can do it. So, I probably had way more confidence this year than anything. So, I don‘t know. I think my zone, or whatever you want to call it that I was in this year, was way better than it probably was in 2011.
SC&M: Talking with your dad earlier in the season, I know there was a depression that went with everything that happened. When was the turning point when you felt, ‘I‘m back‘ or ‘I‘m doing OK‘? Because, I would imagine, for example, getting the win at I-55 in Pevely had to play a part in getting you, personally, back on track.
KL: Yeah, for sure. Like I said, everything happened so fast, I didn‘t know where my life was going, and I had everything…everything was so good before, and comfortable, and I really didn‘t have to worry about, like, working and winning to make a living. Your salary kind of takes care of that.
I‘m sure I was depressed, or whatever you want to call it; I guess just more concerned…and I don‘t even know if concerned is the right word. I just didn‘t know what was going to be next. So, I think, even in the beginning, when we started racing sprint cars, we struggled at Knoxville, we struggled at Jackson, I think Pevely was after Jackson, and then we finally had a good weekend.
Ya know, I remember breaking the track record the first night at Pevely and that was probably one of the coolest moments of the year for me, breaking that. Just ‘cause everything had been so crappy for a couple months and, you know, finally I did something good. So, I remember just being really emotional after that. Like, happy. And, thankfully, everybody‘s stuck in the infield at Pevely, cause when I got back to the trailer I was crying by myself. But, it was just cool. And then to win the next night was awesome. So that was probably the beginning of me starting to feel good, and then after that we got racing a lot more…we got racing a bunch. And I think that also kinda helps take your mind off of things. And then you have success, and all that kind of helps your mental state.
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