Kyle Larson opens up on the importance of “being in great shape”

Kyle Larson has opened up about his fitness and conditioning as he attempts to navigate through what promises to be a hectic month of May. The 32-year-old said that nobody races more than him, and he needs to be in peak “shape” to tackle his schedule.

Larson’s May schedule is one of the most ambitious in motorsports as he attempts the rare Memorial Day Double. The Hendrick Motorsports star will be competing in the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.

His month started off with the race at Texas Motor Speedway (where he finished fourth in the Cup and first in the Xfinity Series race). He will next head to Kansas Speedway, followed by the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, and High Limit Racing sprint car events, in addition to extensive Indy 500 practice and qualifying events.

Larson is attempting the same schedule from last year, where he had attempted the double but couldn’t complete it because of the worsening weather conditions. To deal with his hectic schedule, Larson opened up to Bob Pockrass, the veteran NASCAR journalist, about the importance of “being in good shape” in an interview.

"Nobody races as much as me, so I think there's something to be said to that, being in great shape," Kyle Larson said. "And also when I'm not racing, I try to stay physically active and working out, doing those things and try to eat somewhat healthy."

Kyle Larson is one of the most accomplished and versatile drivers, currently piloting the #5 for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series. He started his racing journey in karts at age seven. His career success is marked by consistent playoff appearances and a dominant 2021 championship season with 10 wins.

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Kyle Larson shares prediction for the future of NASCAR Cup racing at Texas

After winning the Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway as a substitute for Connor Zilisch, Kyle Larson expressed scepticism about the future quality of NASCAR Cup racing at the track. He explained that, despite the track’s lighter color from weathering, the racing grooves and grip levels have remained unchanged for years, particularly since the 2017 repave and reconfiguration.

"I think each time we come here, the color is lighter but the grip in it and the lanes that we run have been the same for the past, I don't know, six years. (Turns) three and four I feel like it got pretty rough there early on after the repave and it's kind of maintained. I don't think that the Cup cars are able to run as high as the Xfinity cars in three and four because the higher you run over there, there's that one little bump, bigger bump just past the center and I feel like the Cup cars, bumps kind of upset us a lot. We get into the stop and that's why you see people crash over there often," Kyle Larson described via Cup Scene [5:20]

Larson noted that Cup cars, unlike Xfinity cars, struggle to run higher lines in turns three and four due to a significant bump that unsettles the cars, often leading to crashes. As a result, he does not foresee the racing at Texas evolving back to its more exciting, multi-groove past.