Kyle Larson

Kyle Larson Bio

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. Before and throughout his stock car racing career, Larson has built a remarkable résumé in dirt track racing, with wins in several of the most prestigious events in the sport, including the Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals, and the Chili Bowl Nationals. He also won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2015 with Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson captured the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in 2021 and 2025, and he was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.

Early Life and Background

Kyle Miyata Larson was born on July 31, 1992, in Elk Grove, California. He attended his first race with his parents when he was just a week old, and the sport quickly became central to his life. His mother is Japanese American, and her parents spent time in a Japanese internment camp, a family background Larson has spoken about with pride. He is the son of Mike Larson and Janet Larson.

Larson began racing at the age of seven in outlaw karts in Northern California, and as a teenager he moved into open-wheel cars, including USAC midget, Silver Crown, and sprint car events. He competed for Keith Kunz Motorsports and Hoffman Racing with Toyota backing, and during his early USAC career a series official gave him the nickname “Yung Money” in recognition of his talent. He also raced in the World of Outlaws sprint cars, scoring his first sprint car win at Placerville Speedway as one of the youngest drivers ever to compete there.

At Eldora Speedway in 2011, Larson won the 4-Crown Nationals by capturing all three USAC divisions in a single night, only the second driver in history to accomplish the feat. He also won two Silver Crown races that season and was named the 2011 USAC Rookie of the Year. Even after committing to stock cars, Larson continued to race open-wheel cars on midweek dates and traveled to New Zealand in some off-seasons to compete.

Path to NASCAR

Larson’s path to NASCAR began when he signed with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing as part of the team’s driver development program for the 2012 season. In February 2012, he won his first race in a full-bodied stock car at New Smyrna Speedway in the Pete Orr Memorial Orange Blossom 100, and a week later he won again during the World Series of Asphalt. He moved full-time into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with Rev Racing that same year, scoring his first series win at Gresham Motorsports Park on June 9.

Larson captured the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship with two wins and 12 top-ten finishes in 14 races, and he was named the series’ Rookie of the Year. He made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Kentucky Speedway in June 2012 and, in April 2013, earned his first Truck Series win at Rockingham Speedway after holding off Joey Logano. In February 2013, Turner Scott Motorsports announced that Larson would compete full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013.

At the end of his Nationwide Series campaign, Larson won the Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first Asian-American and the first Drive for Diversity participant to win a Rookie of the Year award in one of NASCAR’s national touring series. On August 30, 2013, it was officially announced that Larson would drive the No. 42 car for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, completing his move to NASCAR’s top level.

Kyle Larson Career

Early Career (2012-2013)

Kyle Larson’s early NASCAR career was built on a foundation of sprint car and midget success in the western United States. After signing with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s driver development program, he captured the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship with Rev Racing, posting two wins and 12 top-tens in 14 races. He also recorded his first ARCA Racing Series start at Michigan International Speedway during the 2012 season and, on June 7, 2014, scored his first ARCA win at Pocono Raceway.

In 2013, Larson ran his first full NASCAR national touring schedule in the Nationwide Series with Turner Scott Motorsports. Despite a frightening last-lap crash at Daytona that injured 28 spectators, Larson was uninjured and rebounded to lead the most laps in the season finale at Homestead before finishing second to Brad Keselowski. He earned Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year honors and added his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Rockingham Speedway earlier in the year, establishing himself as one of the sport’s most promising young talents.

NASCAR Cup Series Breakthrough (2014-2020)

Larson made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in October 2013 driving for Phoenix Racing, and he began his full-time rookie season in 2014 with Chip Ganassi Racing. He earned the 2014 Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year award with eight top-fives and 17 top-tens, statistics that compared favorably with the rookie campaigns of legends like Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon. His first Cup Series pole came at the GoBowling.com 400, where he set a track record at Pocono Raceway.

After winning his first career Cup Series race at Michigan in August 2016, Larson became a consistent playoff contender. He added wins at Auto Club Speedway and Michigan again in 2017, finished eighth in the standings, and reached the Championship 4 for the first time in 2021. That season, driving for Hendrick Motorsports after signing a multi-year deal in October 2020, Larson won 10 races, including the Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR All-Star Race, and the Championship finale at Phoenix. He became the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to record 10 wins and a Cup championship in the same season.

Larson added two more Cup championships in 2025 and continued to build a deep résumé of crown jewel wins. He captured the Coca-Cola 600 in 2021, the Daytona 500 pole in 2022, the Southern 500 in 2023, the Brickyard 400 in 2024, and multiple NASCAR All-Star Race victories in 2019, 2021, and 2023. He was also named the 2022 ESPY Awards Best Driver and was recognized as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.

Hendrick Motorsports Era (2021-Present)

On October 28, 2020, Hendrick Motorsports signed Kyle Larson to a multi-year deal to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet beginning with the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team negotiated a special clause that allowed Larson to continue racing dirt events while focusing primarily on the Cup program. Rick Hendrick self-sponsored the No. 5 car through HendrickCars.com and NationsGuard until long-term partners were secured.

Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports era has been defined by championship-level consistency and marquee victories. He has won the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500, and the Brickyard 400, along with multiple NASCAR All-Star Race wins at three different tracks, Charlotte, Texas, and North Wilkesboro. Crew chief Cliff Daniels has been a steady presence atop the pit box, with Kevin Meendering filling in during Daniels’ occasional NASCAR-imposed suspensions.

From 2021 through 2025, Larson reached the Championship 4 several times, finishing third at Phoenix in 2023 before returning to the title fight and winning his second Cup Series championship in 2025. He passed the 30-career-win mark with a victory at Homestead early in 2025, placing him among the top 30 winners in Cup Series history. He also signed a multi-year contract extension in September 2022 that keeps him with Hendrick Motorsports through 2026.

Driving Style and Strengths

Kyle Larson is widely regarded as one of the most versatile drivers in NASCAR, equally comfortable on intermediate ovals, short tracks, superspeedways, and road courses. He set a track record at Pocono Raceway and became the first driver in Cup Series history to win three different road courses in the same season in 2021, winning at Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and the Charlotte Roval. His partnership with crew chief Cliff Daniels has produced race-winning setups on a wide variety of track types, and his sprint car background gives him elite car control in traffic and on restarts.

Notable Races and Milestones

Larson’s signature moments include his first Cup Series win at Michigan in 2016, his 10-win championship season in 2021, the closest finish in Cup Series history at Kansas in 2024 when he beat Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds, and the 2025 Cup championship at Phoenix. He also won the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, attempted to run both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day in 2024, and added the Bristol night race and Charlotte Roval to his playoff résumé in 2024.

Kyle Larson Career Wins

Kyle Larson has compiled one of the most diverse win collections in American motorsports. In the NASCAR Cup Series alone, he has reached 30 career victories and added a second championship in 2025. He also owns multiple wins across the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Racing Series, USAC national divisions, the World of Outlaws, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, reflecting his rare ability to win in nearly every kind of race car he has driven.

NASCAR Cup Series Highlights

Larson reached 30 career NASCAR Cup Series wins with a victory at Homestead early in the 2025 season, tying or surpassing legends on the all-time wins list. His first Cup win came at Michigan in August 2016, and his most recent championship-clinching victory came at Phoenix Raceway in 2025. He won the Coca-Cola 600 in 2021, the Daytona 500 pole in 2022, the Southern 500 in 2023, and the Brickyard 400 in 2024, plus three NASCAR All-Star Race wins in 2019, 2021, and 2023.

Other Wins and Performances

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Larson owns wins at Auto Club Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Homestead, Pocono, Texas, Watkins Glen, Darlington, Circuit of the Americas, Bristol, and Texas. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he won at Rockingham, Eldora, North Wilkesboro, and Homestead. He also captured the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona overall victory with Chip Ganassi Racing and earned the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award. On dirt, Larson has won the Chili Bowl Nationals, Kings Royal, Knoxville Nationals, Turkey Night Grand Prix, Prairie Dirt Classic, BC39, Hangtown 100, Hillbilly 100, Hoosier Hundred, and Brad Doty Classic, among many others.

Kyle Larson Family

Family Background and Racing Lineage

Kyle Larson was raised in Elk Grove, California, by his parents Mike Larson and Janet Larson. His mother is Japanese American, and her parents spent time in a Japanese internment camp. Larson’s wife, Katelyn Sweet, is the sister of former World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series driver and NASCAR driver Brad Sweet, giving the family deep ties to both dirt and stock car racing. His brother-in-law Brad Sweet is a multi-time World of Outlaws champion, making the Larsons one of the most recognizable racing families in American motorsports.

Personal Life

Larson and his longtime girlfriend Katelyn Sweet became engaged on December 22, 2017, and they were married on September 26, 2018. The couple has three children: sons Owen Miyata Larson, born December 22, 2014, and Cooper Donald Larson, born December 31, 2022, and daughter Audrey Layne Larson, born in 2018. Larson is married and continues to make his home in the United States.

2025 Season Performance

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season has been another championship-caliber year for Kyle Larson. After opening with a 20th-place finish at the Daytona 500, he scored his 30th career Cup win at Homestead-Miami Speedway and added two more victories at the Bristol spring race and the Kansas spring race. Those early wins pushed him into the top 30 on the all-time Cup Series wins list and solidified his position as a Championship 4 contender for Hendrick Motorsports.

Larson’s playoff run featured steady execution with crew chief Cliff Daniels, even as he entered the postseason without a win late in the year. A fifth-place run at Martinsville locked him into the Championship 4 at Phoenix. In the finale, a right front tire issue sent him a lap down, but a late caution allowed him to take the wave around and finish third, clinching his second NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Beyond the Cup Series, Larson remained active on dirt in 2025, winning his third Chili Bowl Nationals title and adding a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 07 for Spire Motorsports. With his contract extension running through 2026, Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team enter the next chapter as one of the most dominant pairings in the NASCAR garage.