Interview: Kyle Larson Talks Age Restrictions, the Drive for Diversity Program, and Becoming a Father

Kyle Larson Speaks on NASCAR's Drive for Diversity Program, Becoming a Father, and What It'll Take to Win.

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Complex Original

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If you know racing and NASCAR, the name Kyle Larson needs no introduction. If you're not familiar with racing, Larson drives the No. 42 Target Chevy SS for Chip Ganassi Racing. He's only 21 years old, he's won back-to-back Rookie of the Year awards in the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the 2013 Nationwide Series, and he has nine Top 10 finishes in 20 attempts (four Top 5s) in his first year in the Sprint Cup series. So, yeah, don't be surprised if he makes it a ROY three-peat. 

The California native has been racing since he was seven years old, originally starting out in the go-kart circuit, and has raced a huge variety of cars since, moving to midgets, sprint cars, and eventually to stock cars. The highly praised youngin' was kind enough to take some time out of his day to speak with Complex about getting a win this season, age restrictions in NASCAR, the Drive for Diversity program, as well as becoming a father for the first time. 

Interview by Tony Markovich (@T_Marko)

How do you think this season has been going for you?

I think this season has been going pretty well. I think we’ve been a top-10 car most races. There were a few weeks we got some bad luck and got down in the points, so now we’re fighting hard to get back up and solidly put us in Chase position, so yeah, it’s been good. 

This being your first year, you didn't experience the other format, but what do you think of the new Chase set up? 

I think it’s good. I think it gives more teams an opportunity to make the Chase. You can get into the Chase if you do a good job, and if you put yourself in the final round, you have a really good shot at winning. I think it’s exciting for the fans and the team. It makes it more exciting throughout the whole season. You get a win and you get in. It makes it easier to understand for fans also, which helps. 

You've had many Top-5 finishes. What do you guys need to do to pull out a win?

I think we need to get our car just a little bit better. I think we’re close. Get it to where we’re consistently in the Top 5. If you run in the Top 5 every week, you’re gonna win races. We just gotta find a little bit more speed. I think we’re close. I think we can win a race right now where we are, we just gotta get a little bit of luck. 

You guys have certainly come close. You're  involved in the Drive for Diversity program. I was wondering what your upbringing was like, being that you're Japanese-American. Did your family incorporate that culture from your heritage into your life when you were growing up?

No, not really. I was pretty much raised as just a normal American kid. My mom was just Japanese. Really, like I said, I was really just raised like a normal American. We would go to Bazaars and stuff, like Asian festivals once a year, maybe, when I was really young. But other than that, I was pretty much raised just like a normal kid. 

What's it like having NASCAR involve you in this diversity program, even though you didn’t really grow up in any different of a culture? 

It’s fine. I don’t do a whole lot of stuff with me being Asian or whatever. I mean it’s nice, I don’t really have to worry about a whole lot other than me going out there and driving and trying to do the best job I can. 

Does it feel like they’re exploiting that at all?

No, not anymore at all. Maybe I thought at first a little bit, but I think it’s fine. 

What was it in the beginning that was bothering you?

No, it wasn’t bothering me. 

You just kind of thought it was a little bit weird in the beginning?

I mean, it was just different getting used to, because it wasn’t something I ever thought about in the types of racing that I grew up doing, and when I got to NASCAR, they talked about it a little bit more. But I understand why. It doesn’t bother me at all. 

Have you seen or experienced any sort of like racism in your time with the NASCAR experience so far?

Nope.

Going back a couple weeks, there was a discussion about Morgan Shepherd and the issue of age in NASCAR. How do you think NASCAR should be handling—as far as young or old—age restrictions?

I don’t know. We’re all just going out there and trying to have fun and do something we love. It may be tough to stop somebody who has Cup experience in racing. It’s a shame what went down in New Hampshire, but that’d be tough putting NASCAR in a situation like that, where they would have to tell him he couldn’t race anymore.

As a young person in an older NASCAR culture, what do you think of the state of the sport and how it's progressing. It's generally known as a pretty conservative sport. 

I haven’t been in NASCAR very long, so I don’t know how far it’s come or gone down over however many years, but I see a lot of young people, young kids at the track every week. So I think the sport’s in a good spot, as far as fans go. NASCAR is constantly making changes to try and make it better, so I think it’s in a good spot. I think it’s growing, so that’s good. 

Unfortunately, the age-old argument of whether drivers are athletes is still going. No that you need to, but how do you defend that? 

We can always judge other sports and athletes and things and criticize them, but until you get in their shoes you don’t really understand. So I’d like to see what a football player or basketball player would do in a car going over 200 miles per hour at a race track. We have our muscles and bodies developed to do this. I surely know I couldn’t go and play football but I don’t think they could drive a racecar as good as we could either. I think those guys would get worn out in however many hundred and some-odd degrees our cars are, constantly withstanding G-forces and stuff. So I don’t know, we can all kind of criticize each other but we’re all good at what we do.

You have a son coming, congratulations. And you recently bought a house. What’s it's like going through these big life changes?

It's exciting. It’s all kind of moving along really fast. But it’s cool not having to wait very long to get your second chapter of your life going. I'm really excited about the house, we're getting that remodeled. And then the baby will be here in December, so life’s changing quick, but it’s awesome. 

Considering you’re just getting started in your driving career at the professional level, was there any hesitation to continue and move on to the next parts of your personal life?

I don’t know, I don’t think your personal life has anything to do with how you do on the track. So, I don’t know. It’s all good. 

What are you most nervous about, as far as being a father?

I don’t know. Changing a diaper. No, I don’t know. There’s lots of stuff I’m sure everybody worries about when they have a kid. But I’m sure it all comes naturally once it comes out. 

Yeah, I'm sure you'll be just fine. You've mentioned that Shane Hmiel gives you advice. How did you link up with him?

After he had his whole issue in NASCAR and went back to racing USAC stuff, dirt cars and things like that, that’s what I got my background in, I just met him then. Then as I started racing stock cars, he just offered by some stuff, and I would just take it. That’s kind of how we met. 

What is your relationship with him like? Has he grown into a mentor of sorts?

He’ll text me every once in a while and give me some advice. It’s not much more than that. I never see him a whole lot, because he’s always busy with rehab and stuff like that, trying to get himself better. It’s not that big of a deal. 

Anything else you'd like to add? 

Nope. 

Alright, we appreciate you taking the time. 

Okay, see ya. 

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