DARLINGTON, S.C. — Kyle Larson made it clear that he is not a big fan of Taylor Swift, despite surprising his daughter with a trip to Paris this week to see the singer in concert.
Larson sported a Swift-themed T-shirt and a couple of friendship bracelets given to him by his wife Katelyn and 6-year-old Audrey.
“I don’t consider myself a big fan of Taylor Swift,” said Larson on Saturday at Darlington Raceway. “I do like her music and recognize her hard work, but I'm not a super fan.”
Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, is more at ease as one of the most successful and busiest drivers on the circuit. He is coming off a groundbreaking win last week at Kansas, where he beat Chris Buescher by 0.001 second — the closest finish in Cup Series history.
He will attempt to win for a second consecutive week — and a second straight time at the track known as “Too Tough To Tame” — in Sunday’s Goodyear 400.
The photo finish with Buescher surpassed a memorable Darlington moment from 2003 when Ricky Craven edged past Kurt Busch by 0.002 in what was previously the closest finish in the sport’s history.
Larson expected to hit the wall instead of securing the win in the final moments.
“I thought I was going to run out of space,” he remembered. “But he left me enough room. Yeah, we got off the corner and then it was all about how the run was going to work out.
It worked out well for Larson, who took the win, with a disappointed Buescher finishing in second.
Buescher said he watched the finish several times and replayed it in his mind. He learned more than he ever expected about NASCAR’s scoring system and transponder location. Buescher came up with many things he would have done differently to come out on top.
In the end, the Roush Fenway Racing driver came to terms with second place. “It bothered me for two days,” he said. “There’s really no way around that.”
Buescher said the best way to move past it is with a more comfortable and successful showing at Darlington, where he’s had four top-10 finishes in his last six appearances, including a career-best third behind winner Larson at the Southern 500 last September.
Larson, whose two wins this season trail the three of Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, said the trip to France was a bit of a break from what will be a busy rest of the month.
Larson will go from the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro to qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. He’ll attempt to complete all 1,100 miles of racing the following week, first at Indianapolis and then at Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.
JONES’ RETURN
Erik Jones is back to racing after missing the past two weeks with a compression fracture of a lower vertebra after a wreck at Talladega last month. Jones, a two-time winner at Darlington, said he feels 100%, although he’s likely still healing over the next couple of weeks.
Jones said he can’t lift heavy weights, although he believes he can return to the gym next week. He expects to be fully recovered by the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in two weeks.
Jones got permission from NASCAR to race at Kansas, but after talking more with his team, he decided he needed more time to get better.
Jones said, "If I really pushed myself, I could have raced, but I didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt again and looking foolish."
REDDICK’S RUN
Tyler Reddick did well in the qualifying for Sunday’s race, continuing his strong performance at Darlington. Reddick, 28, has finished in the top three at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway three times, including second place at this race two years ago and as the runner-up to Larson in last September’s Southern 500.
Reddick is ahead of two Roush Fenway Racing drivers, Brad Keselowski and Buescher. Ty Gibbs is fourth, with Byron fifth. Larson is sixth, followed by Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain, and Martin Truex Jr.
ODDS AND ENDS
Larson’s performance at Kansas makes him the favorite to win again at Darlington. BetMGM.com lists his odds at 4-1 for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday.
Larson's teammate, Hamlin, has odds of 4.75-1 and Truex has odds of 5.5-1. Byron, who won Darlington’s spring race in 2023, has odds of 7.25-1, and the pole-sitter Reddick has odds of 8.5-1.
