Kyle Larson went through a topsy-turvy year. He started it off with immense zest, preparing for his second ‘Double’ event. Then he got a slap on his face when that endeavor fell apart in shambles. An overpowering sense of regret engulfed him for quite a few months. Then, his fortunes flipped again in the NASCAR Cup Series finale – when he outsmarted Denny Hamlin for the championship. However, only one race remained in his heart until the end.

Kyle Larson boldly takes a side

“Just the prestige of like everything there. Their drivers’ meetings, the gifts that they give the drivers, all the little details that they do to make it feel big is incredible,” Kyle Larson said about the Indianapolis 500 festivities in an episode of Dinner with Racers, a podcast co-hosted by Ryan Eversley and Sean Heckman. “The carb day, the pit crew challenge. We used to have cool pit crew challenges for the All-Star Race here, but now, it’s just not.”

Kyle Larson made his second start in the 2025 Indy 500 as part of his much-trumpeted ‘Double’ efforts. Sadly, his Arrow McLaren crashed on lap 91 and then again on lap 246, after which he could not continue. His day was exacerbated when Larson’s Coca-Cola 600 efforts also ended with a crash and a DNF. Nevertheless, Larson drew a line between his experiences in IndyCar and NASCAR. His appreciation of the Indy 500 did not match that of the Daytona 500.

“You know, Daytona does a good job, they try. I think a lot of the NASCAR executives were at the Indy 500 this year. I know that they looked around and saw different things. Hopefully, they add some elements to at least the Daytona 500. I don’t know the examples, really, but you just walk there, and it just feels different,” Kyle Larson continued.

The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver has picked up two Cup Series titles already. However, Kyle Larson has yet to pick up his first Daytona 500 win. His best finish in the Great American Race was seventh in 2016 and 2019, both with Chip Ganassi Racing. In the 2025 iteration of the prestigious superspeedway race, Larson washed up in 20th place.

Regardless of his lack of Daytona 500 trophies, Kyle Larson likes the location of the race. That is why he is gearing up for a grand event.

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Time for off-NASCAR action

Now that almost two months have passed since the 2025 Cup Series title, Kyle Larson is craving some action. He is ready to go back to Daytona for the Rolex 24 Hours. Larson has three starts in IMSA’s season-opening crown jewel race, but he stopped after 2016. He took overall victory with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2015, co-driving with Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, and Jamie McMurray. On Dinner with Racers, Larson discussed his motivation behind the novel effort.

“I think at this stage in my career, yeah, I’d do it again,” said Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in NASCAR. “I had fun those three years I did it. I didn’t want to keep doing it every year.”

Besides IMSA, Kyle Larson competes in other off-NASCAR activities as well. He competes in High Limit Racing, a Sprint Car Series he co-owns with five-time World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet. Larson is also in random Midget races, taking offseason racing trips to the other side of the globe.

Clearly, Kyle Larson’s affiliation with events outside NASCAR is unmatched. Yet that is what keeps his passion for racing alive – let’s see what he does in 2026.