From Troy Hennig
Roseville, CA — (July 12, 2013) — The upcoming 6th Annual Louie Vermeil Classic entrant list continues to expand with top open-wheel midget and sprint car drivers from across the Country. Yet, one driver is determined to make sure he attends this event.
Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, who currently resides in Huntersville, NC, is going the extra mile to make sure he is a part of this special Labor Weekend event. Larson, who is being tabbed as the next great NASCAR star, will drive the Turner Scott Motorsports #32 Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway during a scheduled Nationwide NASCAR race. Following the race Larson will take a red-eye out of that area and fly across the country to attend the Sunday night Louie Vermeil Classic at Calistoga Speedway. Larson will do double duty on this night driving one of the potent Kunz’s Curb Records/Agajanian midgets and a Ford Family sprint car.
The 6th Annual Louie Vermeil Classis is scheduled to take place August 31st and September 1st at the Napa Valley Fairgrounds in Calistoga. Tickets for the Louie Vermeil Classic can be purchased by calling 916-773-7223. Fans are also encouraged to attend the Friday night Calistoga Speedway Hall of Fame induction dinner. Tickets for that event can also be purchased by calling the same number listed above. The prolific two-day event will pay an unprecedented $10,000 to each nights Honda USAC Western Midget main event winner. The USAC/CRA sprint cars will also boast an impressive payday.
Most racing fans in Northern California were quick to see how much talent Kyle Larson had behind the wheel of a race car. Larson first got accolades while racing Outlaw Sprint Karts where he amassed 129 main event wins and 27 individual championships. In 2007, at the age of 14, he became the youngest sprint car winner in the history of California. Larson became the youngest champion, at three weeks past his 18th birthday, in the 25 year history of the Golden State Challenge Series when he raced to a title in 2010.
While Northern California treated him well, it was time for Larson to move and continue his climb through the open wheel ranks. In 2011 Larson entered his first full season of competition in the USAC National Divisions. Larson took the racing world by storm, amassing 22 professional feature wins across the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, all three USAC National Divisions and the American Sprint Car Series. Among his triumphs during that season, the 19-year-old replicated one of Jeff Gordon’s historic feats, sweeping the Belleville Midget Nationals in his first attempt. Continuing his record-setting pace, Larson became only the second driver to sweep the prestigious 4-Crown Nationals; winning in Silver Crown, Sprint Cars and Midgets at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in one night. His outstanding performances that year earned him a nomination for SPEED’s Performer of the Year award. Larson is also the two-time and defending champion of the Gold Cup Race of Champions in Chico.
Larson is a quick study. His transition from dirt to pavement was seamless. In 2012, he won the NASCAR K&N East championship gathering two wins, eight top five’s and twelve top ten’s in 14 races. Moving up to the NASCAR Truck Series has also yielded success. In five starts, Larson has a win, two top five’s and four top ten finishes.
Even with that kind of success his Nationwide career is just as impressive. In 16 starts, Larson has 11 top ten finishes. Larson has achieved more in a shorter amount of time than some of NASCAR’s biggest stars. It took Jeff Gordon 33 races to record 11-top ten finishes. Tony Stewart and Jimmy Johnson each needed 46 races to achieve that many top 10’s. So far Larson has raced in 35 races held under the NASCAR name and 27 of those starts; he has finished in the top 10.
However, even with all these radiating stats, there is still one thing missing from his resume. Larson has never won a feature event on the historic ½ mile Calistoga Speedway. This is one of the reasons he is dedicating his Labor Day Weekend to racing in Calistoga on Sunday night. “Calistoga has so much rich history and I really want to get one of those belt buckles,” said Larson via text from New Hampshire Motor Speedway as he prepares to qualify his NASCAR Nationwide Turner Scott Motorsports #32. Part of the allure of the speedway is a tradition that the main event winner receives a belt buckle from Calistoga Speedway. “It’s going to be cool to get there and race on it since they’ve changed it some. The non-wings cars always put on good racing there,” said Larson