“I love dirt sprint car racing. I didn’t do a ton of it growing up. But, it’s what my dad did through the 80s and 90s.” “I got a lot of friends that you know are in it or used to do it.

The sprint car circuit has long served as a proving ground for NASCAR drivers, sharpening their throttle control and car-handling skills in ways that translate seamlessly to the Next Gen machines.

Larson nearly had a sprint car land in his lap during a scary wreck that tore up his car. But he simply shrugged it off as part of racing, and he was back at the track the next morning.