Kyle Larson set to race less than two weeks after NASCAR championship

What does a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion do to celebrate? Well, for Kyle Larson, not a whole lot. Larson is going to end his offseason pretty early when he goes to Placerville Speedway for the Hangtown 100 next week.

Kyle Larson is known for his heavily loaded race schedule. On top of a NASCAR schedule of 38 Cup races, Larson tends to race a few lower series races in NASCAR and then 20+ dirt events from January to December, if not more.

Placerville holds a special place in Larson’s life and career. He has raced there since a teenager and tends to make his return to the track for the Hangtown 100. Larson said as much to FloRacing recently.

“It’s really special to me to be part of an event that means so much to me,” Larson said. “Placerville Speedway is a place where my family and I grew up going to, not just as fans, but to race. Teaming up with Scott and Kami to continue growing this event is incredibly important to me, and I’m excited to not only help promote, but also to compete.”

The Hangtown 100 is going to be the first of nine USAC races out on the West Coast in the coming weeks. It would not be a shock to see drivers such as Ty Gibbs or Corey Day also make appearances on the dirt in the NASCAR offseason. Gibbs has really gotten into dirt in the last year. Day is as talented as they come in a sprint car and has the wins to prove it.

We are really seeing a new kind of driver. Not just in NASCAR but American motorsports in general. Those multifaceted drivers are just better it seems. It’s no surprise that Toyota and Chevy have put a heavy emphasis on diversity of disciplines.

Kyle Larson is the new mold for future NASCAR drivers

NASCAR drivers are becoming more diverse in talent. No longer is it karts to Legend Cars to late models and then NASCAR. No, no. Now, the conventional wisdom is that young drivers need to race as much as possible in as many different series and types of vehicles as possible.

Chevy is already doing this, Toyota is doing it. If Ford had more of a development program, I’m sure they would do it, too. In recent years, Sprint Cars, Trans-Am Series, IMSA and sports cars, and stock car racing have been on the schedule for many young drivers.

Guys like Connor Zilisch are in that mold. They drive whatever, wherever. Jesse Love is like that, too. Brent Crews, Tristan McKee, and other drivers coming up in the pipeline are doing this now. They race multiple series and different cars and get as much experience as they can.

That way, when they show up to NASCAR, they have a lifetime of experience already. They’ve felt what loose and tight or wheel hop or chattering feels like. It’s making these drivers so much more prepared and mature for the big time. Not everyone is going to end up being the next Kyle Larson, but if it maximizes their potential, that’s ultimately the goal.