Kyle Miyata Larson (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports and part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro SS for JR Motorsports.
Before and throughout his stock car racing career, Larson has been highly successful in dirt track racing, with wins in several prestigious events including the Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals, and the Chili Bowl Nationals. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2015 with CGR. Larson is the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year and the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. He won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in 2021 and 2025. Larson was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.
Racing career Early career
Born on July 31, 1992, in Elk Grove, California, Larson attended his first race with his parents a week after his birth. He began racing at the age of seven in outlaw karts in Northern California. As a teenager, he raced open-wheel cars, including the United States Auto Club (USAC) midget, Silver Crown and sprint cars, competing for Keith Kunz Motorsports and Hoffman Racing with Toyota backing; During his early career in USAC, a series official gave Larson the nickname "Yung Money" in recognition of his talent. Larson also raced in the World of Outlaws sprint cars and his first sprint car race win came at Placerville Speedway where he was one of the youngest drivers to ever compete. Larson won the 2011 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, winning in all three types of USAC cars in a single night, only the second driver in history to accomplish the feat. He won two silver crown races that season and was named the 2011 Rookie of the Year. Larson holds the sprint car track record at Ocean Speedway in 2010. In 2012, Larson won six USAC National Midget races including the Turkey Night Grand Prix. Even during his stock car career, Larson continued racing open-wheel cars for midweek races in addition to going to New Zealand in some off-seasons to race.
Stock cars NASCAR K&N Pro Series and ARCA
While Larson expressed some interest in IndyCar racing, he was signed for the 2012 racing season by Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR) as part of the team's driver development program. On February 11, 2012, Larson won his first race in a full bodied stock car at New Smyrna Speedway. A week later, he won again at the speedway during the World Series of Asphalt.
In 2012, Larson moved full-time to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, driving for Rev Racing. On June 9, Larson scored his first career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win at Gresham Motorsports Park. Nine days later, Larson made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Michigan International Speedway where he finished 13th. Larson scored his second K&N Pro Series East win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Larson won the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship with two wins and 12 top-tens in 14 races, overcoming the five wins of Corey LaJoie (son of two-time Busch Series champion Randy). He was also named the K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year. On June 7, 2014, Larson scored his first ARCA win at Pocono Raceway.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
On June 28, 2012, Larson made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Kentucky Speedway where he finished 10th.
On April 14, 2013, Larson scored his first Truck Series win at Rockingham Speedway after he held off Joey Logano. During the celebration, Larson performed donuts without his steering wheel on, a practice he had acquired when racing go-karts. The celebration prompted NASCAR to request that he keep it attached, regarding safety concerns as Larson would not have much control of the truck without the steering wheel.
On March 29, 2016, it was announced that Larson will drive the No. 24 truck for GMS Racing at Martinsville Speedway. He finished 4th in the race. Larson scored his second career Truck Series win at Eldora Speedway.
On February 28, 2020, Larson announced he would be re-joining GMS Racing to drive the No. 24 truck at Homestead-Miami Speedway to pursue a bounty offered by Kevin Harvick to full-time Cup drivers to beat Kyle Busch. Following his suspension from NASCAR, Larson was released from the team.
On March 17, 2021, it was announced that Larson will drive the No. 44 truck for Niece Motorsports at the inaugural Bristol dirt race. Larson finished 35th after he crashed into Danny Bohn on lap 100.
In 2023, Larson scored his third career Truck Series win at North Wilkesboro.
On March 4, 2025, it was announced that Larson would compete two races for Spire Motorsports. Larson won at Homestead after he overcame a late race spin.
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
On February 6, 2013, it was announced that Larson would compete full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving the No. 32 car for Turner Scott Motorsports. In the season opener at Daytona, Larson was involved in a violent crash on the final lap when his car got caught onto the right side of Brad Keselowski's car and then hit the outside wall. At the same time, he was hit in the right rear by Brian Scott, which sent his car airborne and hit a crossover gate, pierced off the catch fence and completely ripped off the front end of his car. Larson came across the start/finish line in 13th. He was unharmed but the debris hurt 28 spectators in the grandstands, two of whom were in critical condition. However, there were no deaths. In the season finale at Homestead, Larson led the most laps but lost the lead to eventual winner Brad Keselowski with three laps remaining and finished second. Larson won the Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first Asian-American and first Drive for Diversity participant to win a Rookie of the Year Award in one of NASCAR's national touring series.
Larson returned to the Nationwide Series in 2014 to drive the No. 42 car part-time for Turner Scott Motorsports. On March 22, Larson scored his first career Nationwide Series win at Auto Club Speedway. Larson once again celebrated by doing burnouts in the infield without the steering wheel. In victory lane, he stated, "Those last 11, 12 laps were the longest laps of my life. I've been so close to winning so many times, but the fashion we did it in was extra special." Larson scored his second career Nationwide Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Larson ran part-time again for HScott Motorsports in 2015. He won the season finale at Homestead and the first win for HScott Motorsports.
In 2022, Larson drove the No. 17 car for HMS at Road America where he finished second to Ty Gibbs. Larson won at Watkins Glen.
In 2023, Larson won at Darlington after a last lap pass on John Hunter Nemechek.
In 2024, Larson won at Circuit of the Americas after overtaking a dueling Shane van Gisbergen and Austin Hill on the final lap.
In 2025, Larson won at Bristol. Larson substituted for Connor Zilisch at Texas where he scored his second Xfinity Series win of the season.
NASCAR Cup Series 2013: Phoenix Racing On August 27, 2013, The Charlotte Observer reported that Larson will drive the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing starting in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, replacing Juan Pablo Montoya. The deal was officially announced on August 30. On October 1, it was announced that Larson would make his Sprint Cup Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing to prepare for his rookie season. Larson finished 37th due to a blown engine. Larson made his second Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway where he finished 42nd after another engine failure.
Chip Ganassi Racing
2014: Rookie season
At the 2014 Daytona 500, Larson got into the wall twice and despite the car being fixed, he spun out on lap 22. Later in the night race, Larson got wrecked by another rookie contender Austin Dillon who triggered a seven-car wreck on lap 163 and finished 38th. Larson scored his first top-ten finish at Bristol Motor Speedway. A week later, Larson earned his best career finish with a second-place finish at Auto Club Speedway. At Richmond Raceway, Larson recorded a speed of . After qualifying was rained out, he earned the pole based on being the fastest in practice. Larson got spun out by Clint Bowyer on the first lap and finished 16th.
At Michigan, Larson spun out on lap 7 and later in the race, he made a block on one of his strong supporters Tony Stewart while trying to go for the lead and the block damaged Stewart's grille. In response, Stewart tried to retaliate during a yellow-flag period. When told that Stewart was mad at him for the block, Larson shrugged it off replying "Tony being Tony, I guess. I was pretty tight on whoever was inside of me on the restart and I was looking in my mirror and saw him juke to the right so I juked to the right and he hit me and I don't know, he was just trying to teach me a lesson, I'm guessing." Before the Sonoma race, Stewart warned Larson, angrily saying "He'll learn not to block me anytime soon."
Larson won his first Cup Series pole for the Gobowling.com 400 where he set the track record with a lap speed of . He finished 11th in the race. Larson earned the Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year award with eight top-fives and 17 top-tens. His rookie statistics were better than those of several notable drivers, including Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon.
2015
Larson began the season with a 34th-place finish at the 2015 Daytona 500. During an autograph session at Martinsville, Larson fainted and was hospitalized. He was replaced by Regan Smith. Two days later, Larson was released from the hospital with a diagnosis of dehydration as being the cause of the faint. At Charlotte, Larson and Kyle Busch collided each other coming to pit road while under caution that took both drivers out of contention for the win. After a disappointing season, Larson finished 19th in the points standings.
2016
Larson began the season with a seventh-place finish at the 2016 Daytona 500, his first top-10 and first non-DNF. At Auto Club Speedway, Larson blew a left rear tire that sent him into a slide and suffered a head on collision with the inside wall on lap 48 but he was not injured. On May 21, Larson won the Sprint Showdown after he edged out rookie Chase Elliott to earn a spot into the All-Star Race. At the Sprint All-Star race, Larson took the lead on the final restart and almost won until he got passed by Joey Logano and Larson hit the turn 1 wall with two laps to go and finished 16th.
On August 28, Larson scored his first ever Sprint Cup Series win at Michigan. The win also qualified him into the Chase for the first time in his career. In his first Chase appearance, Larson finished 18th at Chicagoland and finished 10th at New Hampshire. At Dover, Larson suffered an early power issue and was penalized for having too many men over the wall. On lap 183, Larson blew a right front tire and hit the wall. He finished 25th and was eliminated from the Chase.
2017
At the 2017 Daytona 500, Larson was leading late only to run out of fuel on the final lap and finished 12th. After three consecutive second-place finishes at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Phoenix, Larson moved up to first in the points standings. On March 26, Larson scored his second career Cup Series win at Auto Club Speedway from the pole. Larson scored his second win of the season at Michigan.