Dale Earnhardt Jr. sets the record straight in a firm response to Kyle Larson’s blunt Kansas verdict

Former NASCAR star driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently reacted to Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson's verdict on the upcoming Kansas Speedway race. Stock car racing analyst Jeff Gluck shared Larson's reply on racing at the 1.50-mile track scheduled for Sunday, May 11, 2025.

A journalist questioned the former NASCAR Cup Series champion if he considered the Kansas Speedway race "a breath of fresh air." Larson agreed with the journalist and pointed out that fans have high expectations from the event. He further explained (via Jeff Gluck on X):

"Yeah, but then if it's a boring race, everybody is going to complain even more about the cars, like 'Oh my God, Kansas has been so great in the past and they brought a new left-side tire and now the racing sucks. NASCAR, you're idiots, Goodyear, you suck.' We'll see how the race goes."

This post grabbed the attention of former two-time Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. and shared his reaction to Larson's verdict:

"No chance we get a dud Kansas. We are so due!"

The qualifying session raised fans' expectations high after a thrilling battle for pole position between Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher. Like last year's event, Larson took the lead and secured his 22nd career pole position by a mere 0.056 seconds difference.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals why Kyle Larson was not his first choice to replace Connor Zilisch at Texas for his co-owned team

Former Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently hired the 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson as Connor Zilisch's replacement for the Texas Motor Speedway race in the Xfinity Series. Zilisch suffered a back injury after the Talladega race and was ruled out of Texas.

Despite Larson's strong career in the Xfinity Series with 17 wins, 85 top-ten finishes, and eight pole positions, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was not JRM's first choice to be Zilisch's replacement. This is because the team has an ongoing relationship with Trackhouse Racing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. discussed the same scenario on his podcast "Dale Jr. Download" and pointed out that after receiving the news of Zilisch's back injury, he thought of Larson as a replacement driver. However, due to the team's tie-up with Trackhouse Racing, the team members told Dale Earnhardt Jr. that Ross Chastain would have to fill in for the rookie. But later, they found out that if Chastain replaced Zilisch at Texas, it would exceed his race limit, which is why the former hired Larson.

"We have this relationship with Trackhouse, Chastain, SVG, Connor Zilisch, all of that is a is a Trackhouse partnership. The partner sponsors and all that stuff. A lot involved. Well, Chastain can't do it because he would then exceed his limit of races that you can. So, back to Larson we go. And of course Larson was like, 'Yep, I'm in.' He'll do it. He'll do anything. He'll race. He'll race anything. He's like, 'Race more? You got it'," described Dale Earnhardt Jr. [15:00 onwards]

Kyle Larson competed in the race as the replacement, and he won the race at Texas Motor Speedway by crossing the finish line 1.265 seconds ahead of Taylor Gray.