“That’s all I care about right now”: When Kyle Larson made it clear where his focus lies before the Daytona 500

NASCAR: NASCAR Cup Series Championship - Source: Imagn
NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) celebrates with the Bill France Cup trophy after clinching the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship following the NASCAR Championship race at Phoenix Raceway - Source: Imagn

Kyle Larson had a lot on his plate for the 2024 season. He had to prepare for his second straight Indy 500 appearance while running for a NASCAR championship. He also had to manage the Kubota High Limit Racing sprint car series, which he co-founded in 2022 with his brother-in-law and six-time national sprint car champion Brad Sweet.

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Larson’s focus going into the 2024 season was solely on the 66th running of the Daytona 500, which took place on February 19, 2024. Ahead of the crown jewel event, the Hendrick Motorsports driver said (via SPEED SPORT on X),

“I really just get focused on whatever is the next thing in front of me. And right now, it's the Daytona 500, and that's all I care about right now.”
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Kyle Larson started the race in P17 and salvaged an eleventh-place finish. His teammate, William Byron, won the race, marking his first Daytona 500 victory. After a tormenting 36-race season, Larson ended up sixth on points, with six wins, 15 top fives and 18 top-10s.

Fast forward to 2025, Kyle Larson brought the coveted Cup Series title from Penske’s back to Hendrick Motorsports. He could capture only a P20 in the Daytona 500. The driver is currently in his off-season. Next up for him is the Cook Out Clash at the iconic Bowman Gray Stadium.

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However, the first points-paying race of the 2026 season, the 68th running of the Daytona 500, will be held two weeks later. Scheduled for February 15, 2026, the 500-mile event will be televised on FOX starting from 2:30 pm ET, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.


“I will have FOMO”- Kyle Larson reveals where he stands on doing The Double again

Kyle Larson’s second straight attempt at completing the Double in 2025, included running the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, ended up being a dual disaster. He crashed in the Indy 500 before making it to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coke 600. And at the Coca-Cola 600, Larson crashed again after leading 34 laps.

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As a full-time NASCAR Cup Series contender, Larson will run the Coca-Cola 600 again next season. He also desires to run the Indy 500 in the future. However, attempting the Double isn’t something he looks forward to in the near future.

“feel like I’ve made it known that I wouldn’t do the Double again,” Larson said in an interview. “I get asked about it all the time. It’s just logistically too tough.”
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“I will have FOMO from running the Indy 500. Hopefully, someday I can run that again, but I don’t have any desire to do the Double again. It didn’t go well the last two years,” he added.

Only six drivers have attempted The Double as of today. These drivers are John Andretti, Davy Jones, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Larson. However, only Stewart was able to complete all 1,100 miles of the two races combined, which he did back in 2001. The multi-time Cup champion finished sixth at the Indy 500 and third at the Coca-Cola 600.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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