Fast Facts: Kyle Larson



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 Young Kyle Larson burst onto the NASCAR scene in 2012, winning the K&N Pro Series East title in his first season in stock cars. A member of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity, Larson competed in over 120 races in 2012 – find out where else he’s been in this week’s Fast Facts.

• Kyle Miyata Larson was born July 31, 1992 in Sacramento, California. Because Larson’s mother, Janet, is Japanese-American, he was eligible to participate in the D4D program.
• Larson’s background is in open-wheel racing, getting started in go karts at age seven. As a teen, Larson competed in both USAC (midget, sprint car and Silver Crown divisions) and World of Outlaws sprint cars. In 2011, Larson became the second driver to sweep all three USAC divisions at Eldora Speedway’s 4-Crown Nationals (Jack Hewitt was the first in 1998). In 2012, Larson won the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Perris Auto Speedway in California.
• Larson signed as a development driver at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in 2012, and made his stock car debut at New Smyrna Speedway in February, leading just one lap – the last one, giving him a win in his first start. As a member of D4D, Larson competed for Rev Racing in the K&N Pro Series East, earning his first win at Gresham Motorsports Park in Georgia in his sixth race. He recorded two wins and 12 top 10s in 14 races on his way to the title, and was also named Rookie of the Year in the series.
• Larson also made his ARCA Racing Series debut in 2012, finishing 13th at Michigan for Eddie Sharp Racing, and made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Kentucky for Turner Motorsports. In four Truck Series races, Larson earned three top 10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at Phoenix after leading 43 laps; in his final race at Homestead-Miami, he led 48 laps and was battling for the lead when involved in accident with less than 10 laps to go.
• Find out more at Larson at his website, kylelarsonracing.com.