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Kyle Larson’s Dirt Prodigy Creates History by Becoming the First Female Driver To Conquer Unprecedented Midget Feat at 17, Inches Closer to NASCAR Dream

Published 10/15/2023, 12:19 PM EDT

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Kyle Larson is indeed a stalwart in the arena of stock car racing. A 22-time Cup race winner, Larson has numerous victories to his credit in NASCAR, including three All-Star race wins and the 2021 Cup Series Championship title. However, his aura remains as steady as ever when he emerges into the world of dirt racing. With 10 wins in seven divisions at the Eldora Speedway dirt track, the #5 Chevy icon has made a name for himself in dirt racing, simultaneously being a role model for countless budding speedsters.

Kyle Larson is perhaps one of the most coolheaded racers today and his magnanimous nature found its way to influence a 17-year-old dirt racing prodigy. This young lady considers Kyle Larson as her hero. Last year, when she mitigated an ensuing fight between opponent Tanner Carrick and herself with a mere fist bump, the entire community, including her team, was left shocked. How could a 16-year-old have the maturity to maintain such a peaceful composure at a triggering moment like that? Wondered everyone.

Morning shows the day; Kyle Larson’s influence gave birth to a new champion

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Back in 2022, Jade Avedisian became the first female driver to bag a win in the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series, presented by Toyota History. The prospects for this young speedster shone brightly with Keith Kunz Motorsports as this year, she became the first-ever female driver to win a national championship in dirt Midget racing and seized the Xtreme Outlaw title.

The 17-year-old started from outside the pole in the race, holding a 27-point lead in the #XtremeOutlaw standings.

Since last year, Avedisian has just gotten better, and it doesn’t look like she will be pressing the brakes any time soon. Besides winning the Rookie of the Year at the Chilli Bowls Midget Nationals earlier this year, she has amassed 5 wins in the Midget series in 2023.

According to the official page of World of Outlaws, Avedisian was excited about the opportunity with KKM. She said, “It’s a huge opportunity. Keith and Pete (team owners) are giving me a shot, and to have Mobil 1 on this year is going to be really cool.”

“There’s a lot of pressure obviously, because I want to win, and everyone wants to win. So, I’m going to give it all I’ve got and see what happens,” she added.

Watch this story: Kyle Larson’s Talladega Challenge

Kyle Larson should be proud. After all, Avedisian has proved to her prowess on the dirt track, an area of Larson’s expertise. And that too, with KKM, a team even Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell have driven for. And this talent of hers could find its momentum into getting her a ride in a top-tier NASCAR series. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true for Avedisian?

At 17, Avedisian is notching up expectations in the minds of veteran NASCAR drivers

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Last June, Avedisian attained the status of the first female driver to seal the deal in the Xtreme Outlaw feature at Jacksonville Speedway and take home the prize money of $5000.

Fast forward to October, she added another feather to her hat by beating POWRi National Midget champion Bryant Wiedeman to bag her second Outlaw victory of the year at I-44 Riverside Speedway.

However, her feats in dirt racing do not directly translate into getting her an asphalt ride. Nevertheless, she has plenty of years to work on herself and improve her craft. And one day, she could rise to the heights of being a successful NASCAR driver.

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Kyle Larson, who was her teammate for a brief span in 2020, said, “You wouldn’t look at her and talk to her and think she’s a gasser, but she hammers it.” According to the Hendrick Motorsports icon, Avedisian has “a little bit better understanding of patience and race craft” than many racers that he has come across in his entire career.

“That’s not something you can necessarily teach somebody. They just have it or do a better job learning it,” Larson admitted.

Even Joe Gibbs Racing sensation Christopher Bell seemed impressed with her driving abilities. The #20 driver exclaimed, “She’s only 16? That’s crazy. I thought she was older than that. The sky is the limit for Jade. I’ve been following her for a long time. She’s certainly capable of doing whatever she wants to do.”

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There’s a lot of competition in the ring of NASCAR, probably tenfold more than Avedisian has seen in Midget racing. Can she survive all of that and inscribe her name on the wall of fame with the indelible ink of success? Only time will tell.

Read more: Kyle Larson Claims Yet Another Championship Win Amidst His Worsening Playoff Misery

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Written by:

Soumyadeep Saha

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Soumyadeep Saha is a NASCAR Author at EssentiallySports. Holding a Master's degree in English literature from a top-tier university, he has always had a great affinity for writing. In the past couple of years, he has channeled his love and commitment for stock cars into building a career path in the arena of Motorsports Journalism.
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