Kyle Larson to kick off 2024 season with Wild West Shootout return ahead of NASCAR Cup Series opener

Kyle Larson is set to kick off his 2024 season with a return to the Wild West Shootout at Vado Speedway Park in January. Larson will begin his racing schedule with a Super Late Model race in New Mexico before he begins his NASCAR and sprint racing season.

The 18th annual Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout will host a litany of events featuring Super Late Model vehicles, Modifieds, and X-Mods. It will take place across nine days, from January 6 to January 14, at Vado Speedway Park.

After making his debut at Wild West Shootout in January 2023, Larson is excited to return to the 3/8 mile semi-banked oval next year. Having missed out on a victory last season, the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver is hoping to take the checkered flag at the upcoming event.

In an interview with FloRacing, Kyle Larson reflected on his debut outing and his expectations from next year.

"The racing was obviously really good, every night which was fun for me. I came up a little short on a few nights from getting a win, but the overall fun of the racing was great. It was cool to see the crowd grow each night, sounded like it was much bigger than the year before..." he said. "Excited to go back, hopefully, can get a win this time around, and close off a fun off-season of racing."

The Wild West Shootout offers a $300,000 bonus if a driver sweeps all the Super Late Model features races over the week. Larson has set his eyes on the prize money but expects strong competition from Bobby Pierce and company.

After kicking off his 2024 season with a Super Late Model race, Kyle Larson will begin his hectic schedule in NASCAR and Sprint cars. Larson will also be making his highly anticipated debut in the Indy 500 next year.

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Kyle Larson heaps praise on 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney

2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson fell short of winning his second title at the season finale at Phoenix, where Ryan Blaney was crowned as the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Larson heaped praise on Blaney and said the #12 Team Penske driver will be a strong contender in the coming years.

"I think he’ll be a great champion, as every champion is. I can’t think of a bad champion. I know he’ll be good. He’s going to be around for a long time, also. He’s young and has the opportunity to win multiple championships." he told Autosport.

Larson added:

"His family has a lot of heritage in motorsport, too. I think that’s really special to see. Even though he came from a totally different background than his uncle and his dad, it’s cool that he’s able to make that Blaney name even more legendary than it already is."