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NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: FIREKEEPERS CASINO 400

June 12, 2016

Kyle Larson

Brooklyn, Michigan

THE MODERATOR: We are now joined on the stage by Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet for Ganassi Racing, and Kyle, Chase was talking about cars were slipping and sliding out there; almost looked like a dirt track race on asphalt today. Can you explain how the racing was from your perspective today?
KYLE LARSON: Restarts for sure were pretty crazy there. At the start of the race, it looked like everybody was trying to take it easy but still sliding around, and we were able to gain a few spots there. Don't really think I ran out of the top six pretty much all race long. That was good.
Yeah, every restart you'd get, you kind of struggled through the middle of 1 and then into 3 depending on where people were on your outside or whatever. Once it got kind of spread out, they weren't crazy to drive, definitely more out of control than what we're used to. Entry was really loose for me. I was able to figure out a couple things to help my entry out, but still wasn't able to arc my corners as much asespecially Chase, but Joey, as well, and ended up third.
It was a solid run for us. We've been consistent as we've been in the last year and a half anyways, so it's nice to be running up front and getting closer to a win I feel like. Still got some work to do, but it is nice when we can get a package like this thrown at us just a few weeks before the race, and our guys at the shop and here at the racetrack can look at engineering data and come up with a good piece. Thanks to them, and hopefully we can build on this and try and get a win in my home state.

Q. Kyle, the fans got their money's worth today, I think. How would you rate it 1 to 10 from the package deal and your own performance?
KYLE LARSON: Well, you know, I was up front for a lot of it. All of it really. So I don't‑‑ I think I maybe passed one car really for position. You know, the 3 let me go because he had some trash on his grille early in the race, and then I think I‑‑ yeah, I passed the 14 but he kind of let me go because I was a little bit faster than him.
I didn't really get to race around a whole lot of people today, so I don't have a very good opinion on if you could pass or whatever, like that. But you could definitely run up closer to somebody than you could probably in the past. So that's a plus.
I mean, there's always going to be a little bit of changes, I'm sure, NASCAR or whoever can look at to make the cars race a little bit better. I don't know what that is. I just hold the wheel and hit the gas pedal.
I don't know. Honestly I can't give you an opinion on how the racing was just because I was kind of up front through all of it.

Q. A lot of people thought the new package might favor some of the veteran drivers, but it turned out to be a day for the youth. Where is NASCAR right now? A lot of good drivers obviously very good day‑to‑day, but is it a pretty exciting future with the younger drivers here?
KYLE LARSON: Oh, for sure. NASCAR is‑‑ you'll see a big change in the next six or seven years probably with some of the veterans leaving the sport and lots of new guys filling their seats.
It's exciting to see. I'm happy I got here in the first small wave of seats opening up. But yeah, today was cool. Joey Logano, he's a couple years older than me; Chase, I don't even think he's 21 yet. So probably the youngest top three the Cup Series has ever had. It's pretty special.
Yeah, it would be cool. It's going to be us and Blaney and whoever else hopefully in the sport for a long time.

Q. Nine cautions today. Seemed like most of the incidents were coming out of 2 in the backstretch. What seemed to be the problem coming out of 2 and the reason for all those cautions?
KYLE LARSON: Well, if when you're in traffic like that, we really don't have a whole lot of aerodynamics or downforce on our care, and then when you‑‑ I think when you get in traffic and get people on your right side, it takes that‑‑ extra little bit of air off your car, and you're already out of control, and you're trying to grab as much throttle as you can so you don't get the guys behind you driving down the backstretch.
You're just trying to drive as hard as you can on the edge, and it's easy to slip here. This place, all these newly repaved tracks, they have a lot of grip when you do have grip, but when you cross that line and step out a little bit, it takes off on you fast, and you can't really feel it coming, and it's tough to save. I haven't seen any of the wrecks, but I imagine that's probably what went on.

Q. Will you sit down with the drivers from the drivers' committee and talk about what you felt the rule changes did for you today?
KYLE LARSON: I'm sure‑‑ yeah, I'm sure we'll all bring it up to each other and kind of get some ideas and stuff like that. Like I said, we're all the drivers, so we're not really out there to come up with ideas on what will make the racing better. We'll just kind of communicate and probably talk over what we liked or disliked and present that to NASCAR or whoever and let them come up with a way of improving it.
I'm sure all those guys‑‑ I fly with the team, so I don't have wi‑fi on the plane, but I'm sure my phone will blow up by the time I land with all those guys with the wi‑fi on their private jets.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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