Larson got a wild hair and called up Keith Kunz this morning to see Keith had another midget available for the Chili Bowl. Larson will race on Thursday. If he qualifies for the finals, he'll attempt to pull a double on Saturday by racing the late model at Vado in the afternoon and then flying into Tulsa to race the midget.

Racers race.

https://www.floracing.com/articles/11845858-breaking-kyle-larson-is-returning-to-the-chili-bowl-nationals

Ask Frank

And marketers market. Out of sight. Out of mind. He's talked down on this race. But he realizes he needs to be there. 

Why does he "need" to be there? I think he "wants" to....

Curious why you think he's changed his opinion about wanting to be there?

I'm not a mind reader

I think he loves the race

LAST YEAR he had a point to prove, I guess

Why do you think he "needs to" race there?

LOL. I stated that in my first post which you dismissed. Oh well. 

Without question Kyle Larson is one of the biggest names in racing. The Chili Bowl is a prestigous race and even though not the a well paying race the Golden Driller is one trophy most every racer wants to win. The Shoot Out had 5x the numbers Probably largest back gate and again not about money as it paid $1K to win. KKR is a powerhouse in midgets and  spends a lot of money and to drive one of his midgets gives you the opportunity to win. Its always a full house on Sat so its not about bringing more fans and of course Flo is a big deal . Kyle made a statement last year regarding the purse but didnt really have an impact. He wants to be back and everyone wins. Being one of the best and in one of the best cars gives you a chance but there are several racers very capable of winning and it probably has the most diverse set of racers from Woo late models Nascar racers Woo sprint cars and midget experts so I would take the field over Kyle but He is still one of the best ever! 

Good for him!

Nailed it. 

And if he wins it his flight and hotel bill will be covered!  

he runs over a hundred races a year, best wheel man on the planet...he just loves to race, and win!

Ascot was the greatest of all time..

West Capital wasn't half bad either..

Life is good...

Let me say I am a huge Kyle Larson Fan. If he is racing, I am watching, it doesn't matter whether it is NASCAR, a 410, a Dirt Late Model or a midget. He is the greatet race car driver in my lifetime. When he drops out of a Cup race, my TV goes off. He has done more to peak interest in dirt racing than any other driver in a long time.......

Now I could be wrong, but something tells me FLO is throwing $$$ money behind this Tulsa deal to gain viewership,  i.e. paying for Kyle's flights, maybe paying KKM his midget rental fee, or paying KL directly as part of his sponsorship deal with FLO Racing. Without, Kyle, Rico and Bell racing the last few years, the event needed a boast. I guarantee there will be many eyes flipping back and forth between Vado and Tulsa if KL gets locked in for Saturday's A main on Thursday, myself included.

I say the change of heart for running a race he talked down last year has something to do with FLO.

Yes it is all about marketing.  FLO race and the first big race of the year and the biggest name in racing shows up.  Plus what a good way to draw attention is by showing up after the race week starts.  Maybe FLO's numbers are a little soft because of the economy or can the Chili Bowl be bought on a one day pass?  Get all the  Nascar/ non short track people money. 

Maybe someone can actually be a journalist and ask Kyle why he is racing the Chili Bowl?  And not let Kyle give a PR answer,  but they won't press him .  If they do press him then that journalist or podcast will probably be blackballed.  It is all just a game they need the big names for clicks and the racers need to do PR to push whatever at the moment.   Everything in this world is all optics. 

Larson showing up is like when Larry Bird walked into the locker room at the 1986 NBA All Star weekend 3 point shooting contest and said "which one of you motherf*%*ers is comin' in 2nd?" 

Chill people.  First "KL" has to get by Rodney "The Rocket" Westhafer on Thursday night.  Right foot down and go get'em Rodney!  E-Mods.

No. He's trying to get people riled up. Is it working?

I'm with the others on this one. Kyle Larson doesn't need the exposure but FLO and High Limit could use it. You bet they will interview him. I picture it going something like this: "Hey, you looked pretty good out there passing 14 cars with a flat tire to take the win. How about that High Limit series? Tell us about that". Remember, this is the entertainment business.

Not really.  He loves racing!  That is why he is running the chili bowl.

Let's go Sprint Car Racing!

Knoxville - Best Track In the USA!
Eldora - 2nd Best Track in the USA!

I think it would probably work better if you read the posts before responding to them.

I didn't dismiss it, I read it & didn't think it made sense

What's he marketing? He doesn't need any of this dirt track racing, he's making Big $$$ with NASCAR

He does cause he enjoys it, & he's said that many times