PORTSMOUTH, Ohio – With as many milestones as Kyle Larson has racked up since his return to full-time dirt racing, it’s hard to believe that there’s a major statistical mark he’s still chasing.
But Larson has his eyes set firmly on a triple-digit number: 100.
Larson is chasing the threshold of winning at 100 different race tracks during his career, and he’s right on the precipice of achieving that milestone following a dominant score Friday night.
The Elk Grove, Calif., native led all the way en route to a $15,554 payday in the Dean Knittel Memorial at Portsmouth Raceway Park, marking his 20th win between sprint cars and midgets this season.
More importantly, at least from a statistical viewpoint, Larson’s victory at the three-eighths-mile Portsmouth dirt track marked the 99th different facility that he’s claimed a victory at over the years.
Larson has actually padded his “tracks won at” list quite handily in recent weeks, notching breakthrough wins at Maryland’s Hagerstown Speedway, Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway and Port Royal Speedway, and Ohio’s Brushcreek Motorsports Complex, in addition to Portsmouth.
Those five wins now have Larson within one of the century mark in terms of different facilities that have experienced a victory by the driver known throughout the dirt racing industry at “Yung Money.”
That’s a mark that Larson not only wants to reach, but it’s a milestone he takes a lot of pride in.
“It’s a really cool stat,” said Larson after being reminded of the figure by All Star Circuit of Champions announcer Blake Anderson.
If Larson is to get that 100th different track won at, it won’t be this weekend unless he deviates from his current course.
Larson is racing at Atomic Speedway Saturday night in the $7,500-to-win Freedom 40, and is then believed to be returning to Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek Sunday for the mini-series’ finale at Sharon Speedway.
Both tracks are ones that Larson has won at before, in Speedweek competition with the All Stars, to be exact. He took victory at Atomic in 2016 and Sharon in 2017, both times in the Silva Motorsports No. 57.
“I don’t actually know what I’ve got coming up that might be a new track for me to win at, but it’ll be a cool feat whenever it does happen,” Larson noted. “I couldn’t do it without all the great car owners I’ve had and the people who have helped me out through the years.
“I’m just happy to get to do what I love, racing race cars. Hopefully there’s a lot more wins to come.”
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