Kyle Larson Sheds Light on Why Daytona 500 Pole is the “Weirdest Accomplishment” of His NASCAR Career

Published 02/20/2022, 11:51 AM EST

This weekend, Kyle Larson leads a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 for the Daytona 500. Ahead of the race, he talked about the accomplishment and bagging his first Daytona pole. Of course, the race itself is a different matter altogether and will be settled on the track. For now, he is eager to briefly bask in the glory of starting on pole for the iconic race.

He said, “It’s kind of the weirdest accomplishment I’ve had, that I can think of. But it’s like the proudest pole I think I ever had because I didn’t think I had anything to do with it. I’m proud of everybody else because its their hard work that really stands out, which is neat. Definitely cool, and this is a prestigious event and qualifying also is prestigious.”

“So we got to take a picture in Victory Lane and we got a trophy for first and second. You rarely get a trophy for qualifying, especially 2nd, so that just shows you how prestigious it is. It means a lot to the team guys and gals, so really cool and we’re just one step closer to Sunday and trying to win that race,” he added.

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Can Kyle Larson win the Daytona 500?

The Hendrick Motorsports outfit is one of the best teams out there. So the pole is a golden opportunity for the racer to try and tick this race from his bucket list. However, it is worth mentioning that he will face stern competition from the likes of teammate Alex Bowman. In addition to him, there are many more drivers who are just as capable of winning.

Also, last year has shown that there are drivers who are not in top-tier teams, who could be unlikely winners. In all honesty, the Daytona 500 is notorious for being unpredictable, so Larson must focus on this race. As the saying goes, to finish first, first you must finish. In other words, as long as he keeps his car in pristine condition and avoids any drama, he can capitalize on others’ misfortune and win.

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Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.