“Bringing our sport to them”: Kyle Larson drops big praise for historic NASCAR Mexico City race, touting Daniel Suarez’s ‘huge’ impact

Ahead of the Viva Mexico 250 race, Kyle Larson expressed his thoughts on NASCAR's first outing for a landmark event at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Hendrick Motorsports star gave high praise for the chance to reach the fans outside the stock-car racing's general audience and lauded the Mexico fans' strong passion for sports.

As NASCAR gears up for the doubleheader weekend in Mexico City of the Xfinity and Cup Series, the 2021 Cup Series champion weighed in on the global reach the governing body is trying to facilitate outside of the United States.

During a media availability, Kyle Larson, the No. 5 Chevy driver, said:

"I really love the idea of going to Mexico City and bringing the Cup Series to another country and I know we have a lot of Mexican race fans but it's probably hard for them to come to a race. So, bringing our sport to them is going to be great."

Larson also shared that Daniel Suarez is "huge" for the event. The Trackhouse Racing driver, who is from Mexico and has been a long-time advocate for hosting a points-paying race in his home country, will undoubtedly become one of the headlines for the landmark weekend.

"Having Daniel Suarez as a part of the Cup Series, too, I think is huge for the event," said Kyle Larson.

#99 Daniel Suarez and #5 Kyle Larson - NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race - Source: Getty

Furthermore, Kyle Larson discussed the electrifying atmosphere the race in Mexico City will provide. The 32-time Cup race winner pointed out the passion shown by the Mexican fans whenever any sporting event is hosted.

"So, yeah, I think it's going to be an awesome atmosphere. I watch the Formula One race (in Mexico City), and you see football events or soccer events and those fans are just incredible. They're very passionate. I hope they bring that passion to the race and we can put on a good show and hopefully get to come back more and more and maybe potentially travel to other countries," concluded Larson.

While this will be the 16th race of the regular Cup Series season, Larson has been one of the top-performing drivers as he sits in second place in the points standings with three wins under his belt.

However, one NASCAR Hall of Famer believes Larson's teammate, William Byron, has been outshining the No. 5 driver so far this season.

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"He's eclipsed Kyle Larson": Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared bold claim about drivers under the Rick Hendrick shed

Soon after the Michigan race, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. voiced his thoughts about William Byron's stronger performances than those of his teammate, Kyle Larson.

On the Amazon Prime post-race show, Dale Jr. said:

"The last couple of weeks, I think that he’s [Byron] eclipsed [Kyle]Larson as the best car at Hendrick Motorsports. Nobody’s really been able to say that for a long time."

Furthermore, he added:

"Larson was so good throughout the majority of this season, but he’s stumbled and kind of been kind of neutralized a little bit over the last couple of weeks."

William Byron and Kyle Larson - NASCAR Cup Series Dixie Vodka 400 - Qualifying - Source: Getty

As of now, William Byron leads the overall standings with one win, seven top-fives, and nine top 10s. Meanwhile, Larson is 41 points behind the No. 24 Chevy driver.