“Yung Money” Conquers The Knoxville Nationals

A dream came true for Kyle Larson just before midnight on Saturday.

Kyle Larson has been knocking on the door at the Knoxville Nationals for several years.

On Saturday night, Larson finally kicked down the door, big time!

Larson took the lead from Donny Schatz just past the halfway point of the 50-lap feature race at Knoxville Raceway, then held off a furious charge from Schatz and Brad Sweet over the final five laps to take the checkered flag and complete the Triple Crown.

Larson won the Chili Bowl Nationals and the King’s Royal earlier this season, the first two legs of the Triple Crown of dirt car racing.

On this night, the 29-year old driver nicknamed “Young Money” was “Big Money,” collecting the $176,000 top prize and the biggest trophy in sprint car racing.

“Gosh, I’ve always dreamed of winning this race,” Larson said. “The atmosphere this week was unbelievable. I think a year off last year in this place made the roof explode. I felt the energy all week. It kept me excited and pumped up. Like I said, I’ve always dreamed of winning this race.”

“Kyle has been knocking on the door of this forever,” said Schatz, a 10-time Knoxville Nationals champion. “He’s definitely an extremely one-off talent. If we ever see anything like that again in our lifetime it will be pretty rare. He got the job done. Hat’s off to them.”

Brad Sweet, the 2018 Knoxville Nationals winner and Larson’s brother-in-law, was closing the gap on Schatz before settling for third.

“Kyle was way out in front before it took rubber,” Sweet said. “Hat’s off to him and Donny. It was a good race all the way around.”

Knoxville Nationals champion Kyle Larson (center) celebrates on the podium with runner-up Donny Schatz (left) and third-place Brad Sweet Saturday at Knoxville Raceway.

Pole sitter Gio Scelzi (Fresno, CA native) led the first 10 laps before Schatz made his move. Schatz got around Larson for second, then went low in the second turn on the eleventh lap to get past Scelzi for the lead.

“it’s hard to be upset with fourth place,” said Scelzi, 18. “I felt I ran the best race it was mentally and physically possible to run. I got beat by the best three drivers in the world.”

Larson reeled in Schatz through the middle of the race, going to the cushion to get by Schatz for the lead on the 25th lap.

One lap later, Schatz regained the lead, but the yellow flag dropped for the midway break, putting Larson back in front for the restart.

“I wanted to get the lead before the halfway break. I looked at the board and I knew we were coming down to the end of it. Rico (Abreu) had maintained ground up there in front of us. I decided to blitz it for a lap. Paid off. (Schatz) was actually getting back by me before that caution came out.”

Larson checked out on the field on the restart, leaving Schatz, Sweet and Scelzi to battle for second.

But with five laps remaining, the bottom of the track went away for Larson. Schatz and Sweet, running the top, closed the gap from 3.3 seconds to less than a second when the white flag flew.

“I gave it everything I had,” Schatz said. “I was surprised when the racetrack changed like that. We just had to change with it. I seen (Larson) get to the bottom there. I was like, ‘There is no way there is rubber down there.’ I went down there and it was kind of chopped up.”

With Sweet breathing down his neck, Schatz gave it one last shot, going to the cushion in turns three and four. But Larson held on to win by two car lengths.

“I got closer to him as the laps wound down,” Schatz said. “I thought that lapped car was going to hold him up. I went up into three and I gave her the old Hail Mary. I didn’t quite come out in the spot I wanted.”

“Once I got to third I thought we could kind of pace Donny, but Kyle was kind of out there. We found some rubber in some spots. We brought it home in third, so I can’t really complain,” Sweet said. “I gave up a little too much track position there that first 25. I needed to get a good start. The track was a little crumbly from the track rework. I just didn’t get rolling. I had rot work my way back up there.”

Larson, who earlier in the day was in Indianapolis for qualifying for Sunday’s Brickyard 400, flew back to win the one race he has dreamed of winning for as long as he can remember.

“It’s the biggest race of the year in my book,” Larson said. “I’m just very lucky that Rick Hendrick believes in me, Jeff Gordon believes in me to allow me to come out here and do this the night before racing a Cup car (Sunday). Huge thanks to them. This really is a dream come true.”

Check out the results of the 60th Knoxville Nationals.

A main

50 Laps

Completed

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!