Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Something I've been thinking about and curious as to what others have to say.  Kyle is incredibly talented behind the wheel of a sprinter.  How would he fare over the course of a season as a full time Outlaw?  I know he would win his share of races but could he keep the car in one piece or stay out of trouble often enough to be a points contender?  I'm sure his approach would be different if he were points racing but would it be enough?  I think his NASCAR success has been somewhat limited because he rubs the wall too often and knocks the fenders off the car.  He reminds me of Jac a bit in this respect.

I think he could win the championship, but not the first year out. We see Larson go to bascially the same tracks year after year now, given the limits to his schedule and he’s obviously very competitive. But the grind of the tour and the lack of familiarity for some of the tracks would probably leave him about 3rd in the standings the first year in my opinion. 

I'll go with what the other top outlaws have said in the past and say he would be a contender for the championship in his first year. There is a false notion that he tears up a lot of sprint car equipment. That hasn't been the case since the beginning of his career.

Cheers!

If he went fulltime with Silva I'd expect him to win the championship in season 2. Larson consistently runs top 5 and wins with the WoO whenever he hops in the car... and thats on a part time basis. Give him a full season back in a sprint car... knock off what little rust he might have and get into the mentality of points racing. IMO he would be right in the picture with Schatz and Sweet. You have to think whenever hes in a sprint car now its a "wreckers or checkers" mentality.

I could be wrong, but I believe Larson has won races at tracks that he had never seen or run at before. I'm thinking a track or two in PA. I want to say even Eldora where he won in all 3 USAC divisions on the same night at the Four Crown several years ago without ever having run Eldora. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Plus, you have to remember, while I assume this post puts him on the Outlaw tour in the white 57, he has had his own WoO team running the full tour for 2 years now. I would assume they keep great records on setups, so he wouldn't be going to new tracks totally blind.

I'm obviously a homer, so I think he contends his first year out. And, I also think think we're gonna see him retire prety early from NASCAR to to do this. It's obvious where his heart lies.

I also think Christopher Bell could contend right out of the gate too, and I think he is just as good, and maybe even better than Larson on dirt. That would be a good debate to have on here once we hash-out who has the best convenience store food!

His greatest accomplishment in a sprint car was taking the backup 17 (which was really uncompetve at the time) and getting in the car and winning his first and only time in the car at Eagle (which he probably hadn’t had many laps on if any) against the Outlaws. That was incredible. If he could do that, a champkinship is possible, but I stand by my comment that it would take a year.

Bell is probably a better midget driver but he’s not in Larsons league in a sprjnt car. 

I agree, he doesn't tear the car up a lot but he does make mistakes that cost him some wins, much like you see in his NASCAR races.  Bouncing the RR off the wall a little too hard or running into the corner too hard and missing his mark are the things I see him doing.

Lots of talent in the WOO and He would do well. It wont happen as his owner lets him compete when his schedule permits plus the paycheck from driving cup pays more than the top 10 drivers make in a year. He is a great draw for WOO and midgets and we are lucky He wants to give back to his roots.Many drivers in cup are only interested in the money.

That was my first thought when I read the title of this post.  How do we measure it as a success to race with the Outlaws full time if he's already taken a huge pay cut to do it?  I realize it's all speculation so no opinion is more right than the next.  So many things come into play.  Right now he's got top equipment, struggle for whatever reason and that often changes no matter what credentials they come in with.  If I was to offer an opinion I'd pretty much guarantee a top five.  Showing up at the track as a NASCAR celebrity with no concerns about wadding up cars is a lot different than traveling with the team, preserving equipment and pulling into strange tracks every other night that first year.  He's a great driver but has not ventured this far north so I have not seen him race in person.  I've got plenty of Rico pics as far as the CA guys go but none of the #57. 

Stan Meissner

Not in the top 4 in first 2 years. 

I don't think he contends first year out....................... I think he wins running away first year out.  So---I agree with larsonfan on almost all points. 

1.  His record speaks for itself.  He doesn't "cherry pick"---he races whenever he can.  The tracks he ends up at are dictated by schedule and nothing else.  His ability to adapt to a track, and sometimes be the only driver to move forward in a feature, is amazing.  He would adapt to nearly every track, by the time heats are over.  

2.  I have heard some mention "the grind" of the WoO.  However, for Kyle Larson, if he ran the Outlaw tour and nothing else, he would be on vacation. 

His current schedule:

--38 total race weekends in Nascar if you include the 2 weekends of Daytona speedweeks and All-Star Race

--During those 38 weeks, he is at the track from Thursday to Sunday with qualifying, practice1, practice 2, media obligations, and sponsor obligations

--20+ winged sprint car races during the week---many of which he travels long distances to get to the next race

--Knoxville Nationals---has flown back and forth from Watkins Glen, Michigan, and I believe Kansas during Nationals week after running stock cars in the afternoon---to jump in a winged car under the lights-----and fly back to run a stock car within 16 hours?   That should speak for itself

How can his schedule be more of a grind?  

3.  He tears almost no equipment up at winged 410 races anymore----and he is the most aggressive driver on the track.

4.  I will disagree on the Bell reference and agree with DSC1600 on this one.  He is not near as impressive as Kyle in a winged 410.  Midget, yes.  

I couldn't agree more.

Food for thought since I feel numbers can tell a better story than theoreticals. Larson has ran 9 WoO races this year. If you look at the points earned by him, Schatz, Sweet and Gravel in specifically those races:

Schatz 1,270

Sweet 1,228

Larson 1,192

Gravel 1,186

I think this is better evidence for the defense than the prosecution.  Third in points and only 78 less than Schatz in the only 9 races he's run.................................jumping into a car he has only seen a handful of times in 2019?  The numbers do tell a story. 

We are all giving our opinions.  My opinion is he would be extremely tough to beat.  Your points evaluation makes me feel even stronger about this. 

Thanks for putting together and sharing btw

I think Larson will end up running sprint cars after his time in nascrap ends. The problem is, he makes a lot more money in nascrap. So the bigger question is when will he walk away from that garbage you see on tv. To that, I think a lot of how many races he runs will depend on age also. Many factors will determine if he ever gets a shot at the title. 

Many good points made about Larson in regards to schedule, current success against the outlaws, etc....  I have watched Kyle several times and witnessed him for the first time on what I believe was his first or one of his first visits to Lernerville a few years ago and watched him take the car above a pretty substantial cushion and pass many on his way to the front with all 4 wheels above the cushion.  (It was not a mistake either, he deliberately took the car up there). As I said this was an early visit to Lernerville and he immediately reminded me of the King.  The King was one that could make things happen when others could not, whether it be an ill-handling car or a nearly impossible way around cars.  I don't see any other current driver on any tour, circuit or local track that can compare in that manner to the King other than Kyle.  Oh, he would definitely compete for the championship in his first year on the outlaw tour and probably win it!

Agree.  The lines he finds around a racetrack are sometimes very entertaining.  I truly believe he is getting the absolute fastest laps out of every car he drives----even if it doesn't end with a win.  A perfect example?  Knoxville Nationals 2 years ago.  I had a great view of the hole at the top of the track in turns 3 and 4.  I walked to the top of the track after the races.  I could have laid down in that hole and you could've driven over and not touched me-----that's how deep it was.  Still, after every other driver, including Schatz, adjusted their entry, roll, and exit in 3 and 4 to avoid that hole, Larson kept driving throught it full throttle.  I swear he had the car 2 feet off the ground one time.  Next lap----------right through the hole, full throttle.  No fear.  To him, that was his fastest line on the track and a 10 foot long, 3 foot wide, 18 inch deep hole was nothing but a slight inconvenience.  He was not leaving the line he thought was his ticket to a victory.  

Is this his downfall in Nascar?  Probably.  I would love to see him win double-digit races before he hangs it up, and I truly believe he will.  Every Nascar "expert" is trying to figure out what's wrong with him.  He needs to do this, he needs to do that.  There's nothing wrong with him.  He's just meant to drive a car 50 laps or less with the pedal through the floor board.  Sunday's don't suit that driving style.  I would, however, love to see him rip off some wins before he comes back to the dirt full time.  (or, read about them as I don't tune in to many these days)

"That would be a good debate to have on here once we hash-out who has the best convenience store food! "

Hey, you gotta keep your priorities straight!

I think Kyle would contend right away

 If my memory serves me well, I think he hadn't driven the cars before either....

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...

Bell can drive the wheels off anything.  He will be in the cup series soon and I expect him to run a schedule similar to what Larson does.