A couple of weeks ago, Kyle Larson arrived at Placerville Speedway for the Hangtown 100 looking every bit like the favorite. However, as you know, his weekend quickly turned into the kind of chaos even he couldn’t outdrive. In Heat 1, a hard nudge from Blake Reinbold sent his car teetering on two wheels. Yet somehow, Larson landed it and clawed his way back into the fight. It was a save only he could make.

But the main event wasn’t as forgiving… With five laps left and the lead within reach, a near-identical situation unfolded when his front wheels tagged Daison Pursley’s rear bumper. This time, the car flipped, and there was no saving anything. Now, Larson shifts his focus to the historic Turkey Night Grand Prix. He has one more chance to reset, regroup, and remind everyone why he’s still the most versatile racer in America. But can he do it?

Kyle Larson eyes redemption at Turkey Night GP

Few races in American open-wheel history carry the weight, mystique, and legacy of the Turkey Night Grand Prix. First held in 1934, the event has become a Thanksgiving-weekend staple. It has traditionally run at tracks across Southern California, including Ascot Park and Ventura Raceway.

For Kyle Larson, it’s also been one of his most successful playgrounds. He is a four-time Turkey Night Grand Prix winner (2012, 2016, 2019, and 2023), putting him second on the all-time list behind only Ron Shuman, whose staggering eight victories remain the gold standard.

Larson, on the other hand, has been a model of consistency. In 12 career Turkey Night starts, he’s only finished outside the top five once, a testament to both his dirt racing instincts and his ability to rise when the stakes are highest. That lone outlier came last year, and it still stings.

Starting 10th, Kyle Larson sliced his way through the field and climbed to fifth by Lap 44. He looked poised for another trademark charge. But three laps later, a spin triggered by Corey Day sent Larson to the tail, forcing him into recovery mode. He clawed back to 20th, but with mechanical issues setting in, his night ended with 21 laps remaining. It was an uncharacteristic finish in an event he typically owns.

This year, he heads back to the Turkey Night GP as a driver searching for redemption after last year’s unfortunate incident on the track and a bruising weekend at Placerville.

Larson cuts through the fog in practice!

As the sun dipped behind the Ventura coastline, thick fog smothered the track. It was dense enough to blur the grandstands, but not enough to keep Kyle Larson off the throttle.

In true Larson fashion, he treated the murk only like a minor inconvenience, carving out practice laps with the confidence of a driver who’s been here a dozen times. And he wasn’t alone, leading a small but stacked group of names attempting to make the feature: Corey Day and Ty Gibbs.

Day, Larson’s teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, enters as the defending Turkey Night champion. He is a young, fearless driver who already knows how to win big races in tight spaces.

Gibbs, meanwhile, is the wild card in the trio. Fast on pavement, still green on dirt, he’s learning the language of slide-jobs and cushion-riding one lap at a time. Fans watching the on-board cameras got the best show of the night.

Even with limited visibility, Larson’s throttle discipline, corner rotation, and uncanny car control were on full display. Practice times reflected just how tight things were…

Larson clocked in 20th overall with a 12.552. Gibbs trailed just behind in 21st at 12.570. Less than two hundredths of a second separated the two Cup stars!

It wasn’t a dominant session for the reigning NASCAR champion, but given the competition and the stakes, one thing is clear: Larson’s here to bounce back.