NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has admitted that his balancing of two major races forced a turning point in his year.
The newly-crowned two-time champion entered the IndyCar crown jewel Indianapolis 500 this year, but crashed out on Lap 92 to hasten his travel to the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Larson hinted in the aftermath that he's unlikely to attempt the iconic Double Duty again any time soon.
The Hendrick Motorsports star actually came into the Coca-Cola 600 off the back of a win at the previous Cup Series race, but the Charlotte race kicked off a 24-race winless streak which continues to this day – despite claiming his second championship last weekend.
Larson: Struggles made us stronger
Speaking as part of SiriusXM's Year in Review, Larson said: “I think a lot happened, honestly. There was definitely some truth to the idea that it was mentally draining. I wasn’t performing the way I should’ve, and I got down on myself. Lost some confidence.”
He added: “At the same time, I think we took our race cars down the wrong path setup-wise, and we didn’t realize it for a while. We stayed in that slow phase longer than we should’ve. Weirdly, being off the pace forced us to get better at execution. It made us a stronger team, even though we were struggling.”
Larson eventually won the 2025 title thanks to a massive stroke of luck, with championship rival William Byron bringing out a caution with just three laps to go when a blown tire sent him into the wall at Phoenix.
That caution wiped out Denny Hamlin's dominant lead in the race, having led more than two thirds of the laps, with Larson able to take advantage of the restart to secure his second title.
