Kyle Larson gives “huge thank you” to his midget car owner after a ‘special’ Chili Bowl triumph

Following his incredible victory at the Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kyle Larson came out to thank the man who helped him in his quest. In an interview with FloRacing after the race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver lauded Paul Silva, the man who built his car for Saturday's mega event.

Larson emerged victorious at the Chili Bowl Nationals feature race and took his championship tally to three at the event after also winning in 2020 and 2021. With this, he matched his NASCAR colleague, Christopher Bell. After the race, he was quick to heap praise on Silva.

In the interview, the Hendrick Motorsports star stated that their start to the Chili Bowl Nationals wasn't up to the mark on Monday, which sent Silva and co. to take note and come with a better sprint car, well suited for the track and the driver.

"Yeah, you know it was just a run. Laps by itself was a challenge," Larson told FloRacing. "So yeah, I mean it's definitely a special win when you kind of conquer a track like that. Even though I made a few mistakes, one that was almost really costly but it then ended up benefitting me a lot, you know ripping the banner down."

"Yeah, it was really cool, and huge thank you to Paul Silva, because we were really bad on Monday, and he went to work and he got us better and got me more comfortable and I think the track too, you know, opening up and running about the cushion kind of played into my hand a little bit," he added. (0:05-0:41)

Larson's team owner in the Chili Bowl, Paul Silva is a renowned name in the midget racing fraternity. He is the owner of Silva Motorsports and has built cars for Kyle Larson and Paul Courtney in midget racing.

Larson fended off the challenge of Daison Pursley to emerge victorious. Defending champion Logan Seavey finished the race in seventh place, while Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell ended his race in 10th place.

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Kyle Larson revealed his strategy behind Chili Bowl Nationals win

After the race, Kyle Larson revealed his strategy behind his Chili Bowl Nationals win to Matt Weaver. Speaking to the NASCAR insider, the Hendrick Motorsports driver stated how he held his nerve and kept Pursley at bay.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson - Source: Imagn

Here's what he said about it:

"I saw him (Pursley) coming, I knew I wasn't going to let him clear easily so I wasn't too worried. I didn't want to see him and get nervous and throttle up too much and pressure myself into a mistake on exit."

With the Chili Bowl Nationals done and dusted, all eyes will be on the NASCAR Cup Series. Kyle Larson is set to continue with Hendrick Motorsports in 2025 and is in charge of the #5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

He will drive alongside his existing teammates Alex Bowman in the #48 car, Chase Elliott in the #9 car, and William Byron in the #24 car, and aim for his second NASCAR title.