Kyle Larson says he was ‘extra motivated’ to win Sunday’s Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, given his history at the track.
“I just wanted to take the green flag and kick everybody’s ass today, honestly,” Larson said. “I wanted to get the lead early and just dominate like I was yesterday.
“But then the green flag flew, and it w as like the opposite. I was going backward and getting pissed off in the helmet and just frustrated, but I just figured that that day was not going to go like that. Then you just forget about all that.”
Larson is considered one of the best drivers at Homestead-Miami because of his ability to run as close to the wall as possible. However he had only one Cup Series victory at the track (in 2022) before Sunday’s triumph. There were three other occasions when Larson failed to win after leading 90 or more laps.
There was also what happened on Saturday afternoon. Larson dominated the Xfinity Series race and was looking to go two-for-two on the weekend after winning the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night. The Xfinity Series win came down to overtime, where Larson – the leader – chose the bottom lane and had Sam Mayer behind him. Mayer mistimed the restart and hit Larson too hard, too soon, and it took Larson’s wheels off the ground. Larson finished fourth.
On Sunday, Larson didn’t dominate the race, leading just 19 laps, but still won. He overtook his Hendrick Motorsp orts teammate Alex Bowman with seven laps to go when Bowman scrubbed the wall in Turn 4.
“I think just leading into the race, that’s what your thought process is,” Larson continued. “But then, after 10 laps or so, I quickly forgot about the wanting to kick everybody’s ass all race long. It was, all right, let’s work hard at this and get a win, and that’s how the race played out.
“I’m proud of myself for overcoming that immature mindset before the race and just digging down deep to stay in it because it wasn’t a typical Homestead for me.
“I was never able to get the lead until it really mattered, where typically, I lead all the laps that don’t matter except for the last one. I’m just proud that we were able to keep our heads in it today.”
Kyle Busch remains the only driver to sweep all three NASCAR national series races on one weekend. He did so twice at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2010 and 2017.
Larson, however, will have another chance to accomplish it this season. He will be entered in all three races next month at, coincidentally, Bristol.
“Maybe as I go home tonight and lay down and think about the week more,” Larson said of missing the triple at Homestead-Miami. “But honestly, right now, I don’t think about it at all. I wasn’t thinking about that as I took the lead (or) anything like that.
“I was pretty disappointed all of the time after the race yesterday, but I woke up this morning feeling for the most part fine. Motivated, but fine. Kind of over the finish of yesterday. I’m sure when I lay down tonight, I’ll probably think about it. But I’m just happy to get a Cup Series win. They’re so tough to get.”
