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Kyle Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champion, said in a recent interview that he hopes to get the opportunity to do an F1 driver swap in the future. Last Saturday’s winner at Bristol added that he wants to show how talented American oval race car drivers are in other forms of motorsports.
In a recent episode of the Happy Hour Podcast, hosted by 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, the 28-time Cup Series race winner was asked about potentially getting behind the wheel in an F1 car. The driver of the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet said there was a chance to do so this year, but with so much going on, he wasn’t able to do so. He added:
“I would love to do it for sure. It sounds like, you know, hopefully down the road, I’ll get to. I think it was an option this year, I just have so much going on. It’s like something that I need to plan probably a year in advance or more.”
While a NASCAR-F1 driver swap seems enjoyable to the California native, he’d really like to see where he falls within some of F1’s best and be out on the track with other competitors. Larson wouldn’t expect to beat everybody, but hopes he wouldn’t be the worst, as he said:
“I would love to strap in with 19 other cars out there and really see where you’re at on the speed charts. Obviously, I don’t think that I would be the best, but I would hope to not be last.” [0:52 onwards]
Larson believes logging laps in an F1 car among fellow competitors would be a solid measuring stick of the quality of American oval race car drivers. The 32-year-old said it’d be a great way to broaden their reach in other forms of motorsports and show how talented they are.Yet, it could go the opposite way, as Larson said if he ends up not doing well, it could be a bad look. He said:
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“I think that would show how good American oval races are. That’d be neat. Or, if I was really bad, then it would just show how bad we are.”
Larson tried his hand at IndyCar this year
It’s apropos that Kyle Larson is interested in getting behind the wheel in other forms of motorsport, as he did just that this year. The 28-time Cup Series race winner raced in this year’s Indianapolis 500 in the NTT IndyCar Series and raced the Coca-Cola 600 in the Cup Series the same day, as part of “The Double” that past NASCAR drivers have attempted.In his IndyCar debut, Larson started fifth place, ran inside the top 10 for much of the 200-lap event, but a late-race speeding penalty shuffled him back to an 18th-place finish. Unfortunately for Larson, the Coca Cola 600 that evening was shortened by rain, which didn’t allow him to complete “The Double.”
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