It was an odd day on Saturday for Kyle Larson. Partly because he flipped out of one running of the World of Outlaws Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway, and went on to win the next running of the event later in the evening.
But it was also an odd day because the record books will show Larson crashed out of the 38th Kings Royal, while he took the checkered at the 37th Kings Royal — which actually took place after the 38th.
The 37th Kings Royal was scheduled to take place in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to be postponed. So, the race was rescheduled to be run after Saturday’s 38th Kings Royal event.
Larson rolled from the ninth starting spot in the Feature of the 37th Kings Royal on Saturday night, in the same car that has been repaired after his flip earlier in the day.
In front of a raucous crowd in Ohio, Larson rallied to the lead by the halfway point.
With 18 laps left in the 40-lap event, a caution gave the field a chance at Larson, but the driver of the No. 57 was just too good as he pulled away and then survived a late charge from Sheldon Haudenschild to score the victory in the iconic dirt race.
. @dirtvision REPLAY: @KyleLarsonRacin holds on to take the win and become King Kyle the 37th at @EldoraSpeedway! #KingsRoyal pic.twitter.com/zZscAltuUO
— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) July 18, 2021
Allow us to introduce to you…
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— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) July 18, 2021
Following Larson and Haudenschild across the finish line were Carson Macedo in third, Tyler Courtney in fourth and Brad Sweet rounded out the top-five.
It was an epic win and an exclamation point on how Larson recovers from adversity when it’s thrown his way. He’s too good and if he has a car even remotely close to being good enough to win, it’s game over like it was on Saturday night in the 37th Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway.
.@KyleLarsonRacin dons the crown.
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— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) July 18, 2021
Larson truly feels worthy of the title “King” in today’s motorsports landscape. No matter what he drives in, he wins.
Now, Larson, 28, will travel to New Hampshire Motor Speedway overnight to compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort and Casino 301. Larson is set to start 10th in that event.
Larson and Hendrick Motorsports just announced a contract extension this past week, which will keep Larson as the driver of the No. 5 NASCAR Cup Series car through the 2023 season, but equally as important for Larson, his sponsorship deal with HendrickCars.com extends to his dirt racing ventures.
The dirt world, which sighed a collective sigh of relief when Larson returned to NASCAR after a suspension in 2020 — a season where he whooped up on dirt racing fields across the country — have to be dejected that Larson will continue to be a thorn in their sides for years to come.
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