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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 26: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Tarlton and Son Chevrolet, waves to fans during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 26: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 Tarlton and Son Chevrolet, waves to fans during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 26, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
The journey to NASCAR usually has two prerequisites. One of them is obviously talent, and the other is an understated obvious, money. Yet, in 2011, Chip Ganassi took a bet on a very young driver with a lot of talent but no money to put on the table. That driver was the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson.
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But that was then and we all know how Larson’s story with CGR ended in 2020. With an uncertain future after his firing from CGR, Larson, as we know him today, is largely because of the faith of his current team, Hendrick Motorsports.
Yet the former CGR driver hasn’t forgotten the contribution of his first team and its team owner. So much so, that Larson claims he wouldn’t be where he is without Chip Ganassi.
Speaking after the NASCAR Awards, Larson said, “He’s done a lot for me. He’s probably the main reason I’m sitting in this chair right now.”
“He took a huge shot on me and things didn’t end the way I’d ever dreamed of with him and his team”
Kyle Larson thanked Chip Ganassi in his championship speech. Why he thanked his former car owner and why it was important to do so …
“He’s really probably the main reason why I’m sitting here in this chair right now.” pic.twitter.com/98Y99FUp4d
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) December 3, 2021
Although the Hendrick driver admitted that there is still a need for ‘a proper closure’, he wishes Chip Ganassi, the owner of his namesake team, a better future, regardless.
“Just wanted to say thanks to him and wish him a successful future.”
“I will always cherish my years on your race team,” he said.
Kyle Larson wins gold in Nashville
During the annual NASCAR awards, this year’s champion, Kyle Larson won the Gold Car Award by NASCAR President Steve Phelps. Larson was alongside team owner Rick Hendrick and four-time NASCAR champion and HMS executive, Jeff Gordon.
Larson won 10 races in the 2021 season, breaking and equalling many records of other NASCAR legends along the way.
There’s no doubt that Larson will achieve more success in the coming years. Fans have even claimed that the 29-year-old might just be the heir to Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports.
And while that could turn out to be true, and his current team could be a bigger chapter in his future, Chip Ganassi Racing will be where it all began for Kyle Larson in NASCAR.
Also Read: Kyle Larson Reveals How His Father’s Viral ‘Steering Wheel’ Celebration Came to Be in Nashville
