SPRINT CAR SERIES IN THE

I base the ratings for races over the last rolling 2 years. These are based on driver results, including wins, money won, average finish, etc. (Getty Images)The following is a computer generated rating for 410 Sprint Car drivers. WINDOM BANKS 20-GRAND AS 100-LAP HUSET'S USAC MIDGET WINNER.After a highly controversial 2020 season, Kyle Larson is now the favorite to win his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2021. SEES 20,000 USAC SPRINT CAR PAYDAY AT HUSETвЂ™S USAC NATIONALS WINDOM FINDS HIS MIDGET GROOVE TO WIN HUSETвЂ™S NIGHT TWO LEARY SPRINTS TO HUSETвЂ™S USAC NATIONALS NIGHT TWO TRIUMPH. WINDOM BANKS 20-GRAND AS 100-LAP HUSET'S USAC MIDGET WINNER C.J.

Sprint car racingвЂ™s family tree is a mass of complex, interweaving vines all tracing back to the 1920s.Racing, while a lot of work, comes easy to him. To understand how we reached this magnificent madness, letвЂ™s take a look back. The machines are wicked step-sisters to an Indy Car, and the drivers are unpolished, modern-day cowboys that we wish filled NASCARвЂ™s roster. SPONSOR: MAKE: TEAM: Quin Houff: 00: StarCom Fiber: Chevrolet: StarCom Racing: Kurt Busch: 1: GearWrench: Chevrolet: Chip Ganassi Racing: Aric.

Sprint Car Series In The

A star in midgets and an accomplished driver in sprint cars, he continued to race, dominating in various sprint-car events, enjoying his best results ever in the World of Outlaws, considered the top sprint-car series in the nation. Are the wins a sign of redemption? Does his continuous work with various groups focused on diversity signify redemption?The thing is, Larson doesnвЂ™t use that word.'I donвЂ™t really have an opinion of people using it, but I donвЂ™t view what IвЂ™m doing now as redemption at all,' Larson told FOX Sports in an interview last week.'I just want to show people that I am a great race-car driver, but IвЂ™m also a great person and IвЂ™m not who some people think I was from that one night.'When racing resumed once feasible during the pandemic in 2020, Larson had no NASCAR ride. Chip Ganassi Racing had no choice but to fire him.As he has won races and signed new sponsors, the comeback storyline of Larson, to many observers, focuses on redemption. Made his debut in open-wheel racing competing in the Euroformula Open Championship in 2014.After casually using a racial slur in acknowledging a friend on what he thought was a private channel during an online racing event in April 2020, Larson saw his professional life collapse in days.

Hendrick, the most successful owner in NASCAR Cup Series history, knows talent when he sees it. (Getty Images)The first person who stepped up was Rick Hendrick, who certainly had hoped he could land Larson even if Stewart-Haas Racing seemed a better initial fit, with StewartвЂ™s sprint-car racing background similar to LarsonвЂ™s. I donвЂ™t really like to think about it.'Larson says he wasn't sure he'd back in NASCAR, and certainly didn't expect to be contending, as soon as 2021. 'So it is a little bit surreal, but I donвЂ™t know. And Larson wasnвЂ™t sure if anyone else would.'Fifteen months ago, I would have thought I would be racing for a World of Outlaws championship at this point, not a NASCAR Cup Series championship,' Larson said.

It very well could, but Larson isnвЂ™t into looking back.'I donвЂ™t want to think about too much,' Larson said. NASCAR returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the site of LarsonвЂ™s first win for Hendrick Motorsports in just the fourth race of 2021.It was in that race, that made people believe that this could be LarsonвЂ™s comeback season. As Larson started rattling off wins and LarsonвЂ™s grassroots fan base started buying passenger vehicles in support of their driver, HendrickвЂ™s automotive division announced in July it increased its sponsorship commitment to Larson, allowing Hendrick to sign Larson through 2023.Larson heads this weekend to the place that set the tone for him this year.

He has the innate ability, as team owner Rick Hendrick said, to put the car where it doesnвЂ™t appear it will either fit or not lose spots.'Kyle is an awesome talent,' Hendrick said. Daniels didnвЂ™t win with Jimmie Johnson in 50 races with the seven-time Cup champion leading into his retirement.Larson, though, could see it in this team.'Cliff and his leadership and how high of a standard he holds everybody to and just the way he communicates, just everything about him, is to me what I view a Cup Series crew chief being like,' Larson said.'And, too, I feel вЂ¦ Hendrick Motorsports overall has a lot of great people and that gives you confidence that you can have a good season.'There isnвЂ™t any big secret to how Larson gets the job done. Then he met and started working with crew chief Cliff Daniels, considered one of the smartest engineers on the Hendrick campus.But a smart engineer doesnвЂ™t always correlate to crew chief success. (Getty Images).The confidence came from Larson having watched how strong Hendrick drivers had raced in the past, including Chase Elliott winning the 2020 Cup title. 'I think we were confident, but I guess being confident in our confidence was good to have that win at Vegas.'Larson has found victory lane often in 2021, winning six races вЂ“ which matches the previous total for his career. And would there be any rust not having raced a stock car since March of 2020.'It was just good to put a great race together that day and really kind of get us all just confident,' Larson said.

Larson has won two of the biggest races this year, with the 600 at Charlotte and the night race at Bristol.'Kyle is made for these moments,' Daniels said after the Bristol win. He paints a picture for Larson on the strategy in the way Larson can understand.And then Daniels lets Larson do his job, drive the car, as he did Saturday in capturing the victory at Bristol Motor Speedway. He meticulously and analytically and simply explains the scenarios that could play out for Larson. ItвЂ™s cool just to be competitive each week really.'Daniels appears to be the crew chief Larson needs. I think thatвЂ™s why I never really thought that I could see myself winning four in a row.'But itвЂ™s cool and you have to enjoy it in the moment, and hopefully we can do it again someday. 'ItвЂ™s rare to see somebody win two in a row these days.

'I talk about the race and how it went. He feels he keeps things simple, saying whether the car is loose or tight or bouncing too much and not giving suggestions for changes.'I feel like everybody else talks about their cars and how they handle,' Larson said about competition meetings. HeвЂ™s pretty knowledgeable about the things that are important.'Larson still feels he breaks down the car worse than any of his teammates. 'Everyone said, вЂMan, he doesnвЂ™t really know a lot about cars and just drives and just gets in and goes.вЂ™ ThatвЂ™s true, but I think his feedback is just similar to Chase and I and Alex.'I donвЂ™t feel like heвЂ™s any more vague about the car. That was always the perception of him anyway.'IвЂ™ve been impressed with his ability to dissect and break down the car,' Larson teammate William Byron said. (Getty Images)Daniels might give Larson a little indication of the changes done to the car during a race, but Larson doesnвЂ™t need to know a whole lot about the car to go fast.Larson couldnвЂ™t care less about the springs in the car.'That to me is too much information and thatвЂ™s not what I get paid to worry about,' Larson said.Some drivers want to know that info and one of the questions is whether Laron could become a NASCAR champion without deep knowledge of race car setups, without wanting to make suggestions on setups or changes they should make during the race.

Sprint Car Drivers