Okyle Larson made one factor clear: He is no Swiftie, even when he did shock his daughter with a birthday journey to Paris this week to see Taylor Swift in live performance.
Sure, Larson wore a Swift-themed T-shirt and a few friendship bracelets given to him by spouse Katelyn and 6-year-old Audrey.
Taylor Swift amazes followers with progressive performances on ‘The Eras Tour’ European leg
“I do not really feel like I am a Swiftie in any respect,” Larson mentioned Saturday at Darlington Raceway. “I do admire her music and the way onerous she works, however I am not a Swiftie.”
Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Collection champion, is extra comfy as one of many hottest and busiest drivers on the circuit. He’s coming off a history-making victory final week at Kansas, the place he edged Chris Buescher by 0.001 second – the closest end in Cup Collection historical past.
He’ll attempt to win for a second consecutive week – and a second straight time on the monitor nicknamed “Too Robust To Tame” – in Sunday’s Goodyear 400.
Taylor Swift’s scorching dance drives Paris followers loopy, is it for Travis Kelce?
The picture end with Buescher surpassed what had been a signature Darlington second from 2003 when Ricky Craven nudged previous Kurt Busch by 0.002 in what beforehand was the closest end within the sport’s historical past.
Larson anticipated to hit the wall as an alternative of get the win within the closing moments.
“I simply thought I used to be going to expire of house,” he recalled. “However he left me sufficient room. Yeah, we obtained off the nook after which it was all about how the run was going to work out.
It labored out with Larson getting the win, with a disenchanted Buescher ending in second.
Buescher mentioned he watched the end a number of occasions and performed it time and again in his thoughts. He realized greater than he ever anticipated about NASCAR’s scoring system and transponder location. Buescher got here up with many issues he would have executed in a different way to return out on high.
In the long run, the Roush Fenway Racing driver made peace with second place. “It was bothersome for 2 days,” he mentioned. “There’s actually no approach round that.”
One of the best ways to get previous it, Buescher mentioned, is with a extra comfy and profitable exhibiting at Darlington, the place he is had 4 top-10 finishes in his final six appearances, together with a career-best third behind winner Larson on the Southern 500 final September.
Larson, whose two wins on the season path the three of Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, mentioned the tour to France was a little bit of a break from what will likely be a busy remainder of the month.
Larson will slide between the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro and qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. He’ll try to finish all 1,100 miles of racing the subsequent week, first at Indianapolis after which at Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600.
Jone’s return
Erik Jones returns to racing after lacking the previous two weeks with a compression fracture of a decrease vertebra after a wreck at Talladega final month. Jones, a two-time winner at Darlington, mentioned he feels 100%, though it is extra possible he is nonetheless obtained some therapeutic to do over the subsequent couple of weeks.
Jones mentioned he cannot elevate heavy weights, though he believes he can return to the health club subsequent week. He expects to be totally recovered by the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in two weeks.
Jones was cleared by NASCAR to race at Kansas, however after additional conversations along with his group he felt he wanted extra time to get well.
“If I actually pushed it, I might’ve been within the automotive if I pushed it, I might’ve been within the automotive if I actually, actually wished to be,” Jones mentioned. “On the identical time, if I make that decision alone and overrule, and I’m going out and re-injure myself, I appear to be an fool.”
Reddick’s run
Tyler Reddick led qualifying for Sunday’s race, persevering with a robust historical past at Darlington. Reddick, 28, has had three top-three finishes at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway, together with second place at this race two years in the past and as runner-up to Larson in final September’s Southern 500.
Reddick begins in entrance of two Roush Fenway Racing drivers in Brad Keselowski and Buescher. Ty Gibbs is fourth, with Byron fifth. Larson is sixth, adopted by Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Martin Truex Jr.
Odds and ends
Larson’s race at Kansas makes him the betting favourite to take his second straight checkered flag at Darlington. He is listed at 4-1 odds by BetMGM.com for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday.
JGR teammates Hamlin at 4.75-1 and Truex at 5.5-1 are subsequent. Byron, who received Darlington’s spring race in 2023, is at 7.25-1 and pole-sitter Reddick is at 8.5-1.
