The fresh-faced, 19-year-old rising star from California stunned the sprint car world by winning all three USAC divisions at the 4-Crown Nationals on Saturday.
Larson joined Jack Hewitt as the only drivers to do it — Hewitt won four divisions, including a modified race, in 1998 for a four-race sweep — and Larson did so with track owner Tony Stewart watching from a suite overlooking Turn 3 at Eldora.
Stewart, who fell one race shy of the feat after winning the midget and sprint races in 1995, was so impressed he gave Larson a $10,000 bonus on top of the $18,000 he already won.
And Larson, by the way, had never raced at Eldora before Saturday.
“That makes it even more special,” said Hewitt, who watched from the infield after helping wrench the cars of his nephew Dallas Hewitt and Matt Westfall.
With no ride in the modified division or the World of Outlaws event that kicked off the 4-Crown Nationals on Friday, Larson didn’t have the chance to match Hewitt’s four-race sweep. Still, what Larson accomplished wasn’t any less amazing.
In the 4-Crown’s 31-year history, 10 drivers have won two of the three divisions. Only Hewitt and Larson have won all three.
Recap
Midgets: Larson, who started fourth, led all 25 laps and was seldom challenged by runner-up and midget points leader Bryan Clauson.
Sprints: Larson started 11th and received a break when leaders Levi Jones and Chris Windom blew tires between laps 21-28 and Jerry Coons Jr. got caught up in it. Dave Darland led lap 28, but Larson's slide job in Turns 3-4 let him lead the final two of the 30-lapper.
Larson went for the lead in Turns 1-2, but instead ended up on Darland’s bumper and gave him a tap that helped him race by.
“I thought I was going go to run right over his right rear (tire) but I clipped his bumper and it got him a little out of shape,” Larson said. “... I knew I coulnd’t make a mistake going into Turns 1-2 (on the last lap).”
Silver Crown: One win away from the historic sweep, Larson — who started on the pole — trailed Jones the first four laps before wrestling the lead away. Larson, riding high against the wall like Hewitt's greatest days, led the final 46 laps. He survived 11 cautions — including a stretch of eight cautions in a seven-lap span — that bunched the field on his bumper and dragged out the drama.
“It’s just really cool. I didn’t think I’d win all three,” said Larson. “I felt like I’d have a struggle in the sprint cars and I did. I got lucky. It was a crazy, lucky night.”
The USAC sweep was the latest in the up-and-coming driver’s career. He became the youngest winner in the World of Outlaw’s Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway on Sept. 10, his home track.
Two days later he finished second to Steve Kinser after starting 14th in a WoO race in Antioch, Calif.
He also earned USAC bragging rights after becoming the first driver this year to score a win in each of the three divisions.
Ironically, some say his USAC success — especially that 4-Crown sweep — could be the very thing that catapults him out of the series.
“He’s the next NASCAR star without a doubt,” said Hewitt. “One day I’ll be saying, 'Hey, me and Kyle were the only ones to have ever done it.’”
Hewitt said he was thrilled to share his record with Larson. He said he didn’t want to crash Larson’s post-race party — “It was his hour,” Hewitt said — and instead plans to meet up with Larson at USAC’s next show in Toledo.
“He’s a bad a--,” Larson said. “He’s crazy. It’s cool to do a little bit of what he did. It’s awesome. ... It’s too bad I didn’t have a modified ride so I could try and do what Hewitt did (with four wins).”
Said Stewart, who told speedtv.com: “A kid like this only comes around once every 20 years or so.
“I’ve now seen the three coolest things here. Hewitt’s sweep, Joe Saldana’s victory last night (Friday) in the outlaw race after coming back from his bad crash and what this kid did this evening.”
On Friday, Indiana’s Joey Saldana won the Outlaws race in a triumphant return to Eldora after leading all 30 laps of the feature. It was his first visit back — and just his second race overall — since suffering a shattered right forearm, punctured lung and broken ribs in an accident at the Kings Royal on July 16.
“I just gotta thank God. He does crazy things, that guy. He kept me determined,” Saldana said from Eldora’s victory lane stage.
“I wanted to come back and race. I really wanted to come back here but everyone thought I was crazy. I think they wanted me to start at The Grove (Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania) next week. I don’t know, I didn’t feel right with that. I figured I needed to come back.
“Three weeks ago I couldn’t even run on a treadmill. Now I just won on the toughest track there is. ... I love racing. I kind of thought I’d be intimidated by the place. I love racing here and I respect it. I know you’re gonna get hurt, I didn’t realize it was going to be me two years in a row.”
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