After Truck Win, Larson Likes Chances to Sweep Homestead Triple Header
Kyle Larson rolled into South Florida this weekend with aspirations of becoming the second-ever driver to pull off a NASCAR National Series three-race weekend sweep. After recovering from a spin late in Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the race, the dream remains alive for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Following his fourth-career NASCAR Truck Series win, Larson didn't shy away from the fact that he didn't expect to work his way back to the front of the field after he looped his No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro with 40 laps to go.
"No, no I did not think that I had enough time without a caution to get up there," Larson said.
Larson figured if he did have a shot to pull off the rally, his hopes would rest on having a really solid restart. He didn't get it, and he had mentally become reserved to the fact that it was probably over with.
"I didn't get a good restart, I was hoping to get a bunch of them on the first couple of laps, and really I didn't get any. And so, yeah, just kinda was almost giving up at that point. And was just like, 'Well, I'm just going to get what I can here,' and try not to do anything stupid, you know, wreck anybody or wreck myself."
39 laps later, Larson was on his path to victory lane in the opening race of the weekend. After his heroic march back through the field to win Friday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, Larson feels pretty good about his chances to pull off the triple-header race weekend sweep at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"Yeah, I mean that's the main goal going into this weekend was to win all three," Larson said. "And after the spin, I was like, 'Damn, it's over, now.' And I was just able to make some things happen to get a win. So, yeah, like you said, you can't win all three without winning the first. I like my chances the rest of the weekend."
Even before the spin, Larson felt the toughest race of the weekend would be Friday's Truck Series race just because of how different the racing is in that series than what he's used to in the NASCAR Cup, and Xfinity Series.
Now, Larson's focus will shift to Saturday afternoon's NASCAR Xfinity Series Hard Rock Bet 300, where he'll pilot the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. As far as who he feels his top threat for the win in the second leg of the three-race weekend will be, Larson feels it'll be last year's winner Austin Hill.
"I think Austin Hill was really good here though last year. It'll be tough," Larson said of Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series event. "I'm trying to think of who else is good, standout good, being different too around the bottom. We'll see. I know my car will be good. I just gotta keep it out of the wall, like I was somehow able to tonight."
If Larson can get through Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with no issue, and he winds up in victory lane, he'll head into Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 with a chance to do what only Kyle Busch has pulled off in the past.
Busch swept the three-race NASCAR National Series race weekends at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2010, and again in 2017.
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.