CONCORD, N.C. — Kyle Larson has qualified among the top five for the last three Watkins Glen races and won the pole position at Sonoma Raceway two years running.
So perhaps Friday’s fifth-place qualifying effort ahead of Sunday’s inaugural Bank of America Roval 400 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) shouldn’t present such a striking surprise for the driver of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 42 Chevrolet. Still, Larson was hesitant to take on the label of road-race specialist ahead of the first Monster Energy Series event on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s combination road course and oval layout.
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“Maybe a qualifying expert, but not a race expert, that’s for sure,” Larson said. “I seem to struggle when it comes to racing on road courses. For whatever reason, I feel like our cars always qualify good on short tracks and road courses. We’ve gotten better in race conditions, so hopefully this weekend we can have a decent balance on it and not be too out of control and keep from making a mistake. We’ve seen a lot of people have issues already, so just try to be cautious to not make a bad day out of Sunday.”
Larson was involved in test sessions at the 2.28-mile course then rolled to the sixth-best time in Friday’s opening Monster Energy Series practice. But the Roval circuit continues to be a mystery for the 40-car field in terms of what to expect in race conditions.
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With drivers not yet pushing the limits to complete passes, side-by-side action has been limited so far. That’s why Larson says he’ll be a curious observer in Saturday’s preliminary event, the Drive for the Cure 200 (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“I’m definitely going to be paying attention to the Xfinity race to see how they start that thing,” Larson said, “then also just seeing how we go down to the end of pit road.” The layout requires a sharp left at the commitment line, a tight turn if cars are running abreast.
Whatever the outcome, the week has already been a memorable one in the life-event category for Larson, with Sunday’s event coming on the heels of his Wednesday wedding to longtime girlfriend Katelyn Sweet. The couple was engaged last December and has two children, 3 1/2-year-old son Owen and 4-month-old daughter Audrey.
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Friday afternoon on pit road, Larson reflected on the nuptials with equal parts elation and relief.
“I feel like our lives are so, there’s no certain schedule or stuff,” Larson said. “We’re pretty crazy and just go with the flow of things, so having a midweek wedding in the middle of the season, middle of the playoffs is just normal life. It’s just cool to get it done, and it went perfect. It was a lot of fun. Glad to have it over with, though. I slept a bunch yesterday. I’m ready to go home and sleep some more.”