Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson recently landed in Oklahoma for the 2026 Tulsa Shootout. Following that, he was featured in an interview with FloRacing, where he opened up about the pressure ahead of the main event and talked about his kids’ performance.
Ahead of the Tulsa Shootout, Larson competed in the High Limit Racing International held at Perth Motorplex in Australia. He drove the #1K sprint car for Jason Pryde and secured the title for the second time in a row. Following that, the HMS covered nearly 11,000 miles to compete in the Winged Outlaw division this year at the Tulsa Shootout.
Additionally, Kyle Larson’s kids, Owen and Audrey, are also competing in the event. The 11-year-old will compete in the restricted, stock, non-wing, and winged A-class divisions. Owen won the Winged A-Class heat race held on December 30, 2025. Meanwhile, his seven-year-old sister competed in the Junior Sprint Heat race and clinched another victory for the family.
Reflecting on that, the reporter questioned the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion about feeling pressured as his kids got a good start. Larson shrugged off the pressure and stated:
“No, I don’t, but I’m sure, if I don’t do anything good, I’m sure they’re gonna be picking on me, especially Audrey, but I really don’t expect anything here, just because, yeah, you need laps. Like, all these people have been getting lots of laps all week, you know, so they’ve been cracks in and running multiple divisions. So I’m coming in green, so it’d be tough, especially with the like bring blood to my head, so I gotta get kind of after it.”
Unlike last year, when Kyle Larson competed in four divisions, he will compete only in the Winged Outlaw division this year. The HMS driver clinched a $110,000 (AUD) prize pool at the High Limit International finale before flying back to Tulsa.
Kyle Larson Shared His Take on One-Race Championship Format in NASCAR
In November 2025, the defending champion Kyle Larson was featured on the ‘Rubbin’ is Racing’ podcast. During the interaction, Larson discussed the one-race championship format that NASCAR has been following for the past couple of years.
After witnessing the season-dominant driver, Denny Hamlin, lose the title to him, the HMS driver suggested the governing body should change the format. On the podcast, Larson highlighted the idea of adding more races to the championship bout to decide the champion.
Continuing further, Kyle Larson explained:
“I don’t think there’s ever a clear one hundred percent, you know, perfect format that everybody in the world is gonna agree on. But I think what we can all agree on, I think what you know, Sunday maybe proved that we need more than one race, yes, whether that is 36 or 10 or four or whatever the number is, it should be more than one because of moments like that.”
The #5 Chevy driver clinched three victories, 15 top-five finishes, and 22 top-ten finishes in 36 starts this season. He led 1,106 laps with an average start of 11.4 and an average finish of 13.19.
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