Larson hopes All-Star Race win kick-starts rhythm as racing schedule ramps up

Fresh off his Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race triumph, Kyle Larson has found the perfect time to turn his 2019 season around. As the summer months get into full swing, Larson’s racing schedule is packed with roughly 45 sprint car and midget events on dirt tracks across the country. Larson even raced back into Victory Lane on Wednesday night, scoring a mini outlaw sprint win at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, North Carolina. For the Chip Ganassi Racing driver, it’s the midweek seat time that correlates into potentially hitting his stride as the Monster Energy Series regular season approaches the halfway point. RELATED: Larson joins Blaney on GCOE, talks about post-race radio etiquette “I think I stay fresh,” Larson told NASCAR.com. “If I’m running good in the sprint car stuff, it helps your confidence. I just get in a good rhythm of being in a car. It’s hard to get a good rhythm when you’re only in the car a few days a week, but when you’re in a car every day of the week, you’re just constantly fresh, fit and energized. I think it helps.” Recording just two top-10 finishes in the first 10 races of the year, Larson has experienced improvement in the No. 42 Chevrolet with a third place at Dover and an eighth-place showing at Kansas. Despite the slow start, Larson hasn’t let it affect him mentally as the recent uptick in speed offers promise. “I think I’ve handled it alright,” Larson said. “It’s harder to handle racing around 20th to 25th place or something, but when you feel like you have a car that’s capable of running in the top 10 and you blow a tire or something that’s out of your control, I think that’s easier to deal with. “The season that we’ve had is a lot of bad luck,” he added. “Just got to stay positive. I feel like we did a good job of that as a team and that’s why I think we’ve been able to stay focused on our task and get a win last weekend.” Whether it’s a victory at a grassroots track or winning $1 million at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Larson hopes another checkered flag is in his future heading into Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). RELATED: Full Charlotte schedule  “I think any time you win it helps your confidence,” Larson said. “I hope that it adds some more momentum to our season. Getting that win at the All-Star Race really helps. We’ll see, but it’s a good time of year for me.” For Larson, confidence and momentum are a vital mixture and he’ll take it anywhere he can earn it, hoping it translates into a points-paying win to lock him in the NASCAR Playoffs. “Both of those together, along with having a good car and a team that executes, for sure it helps,” Larson said. “I think if you can have everything line up, momentum and confidence come pretty easy. But hopefully we can keep it going.”