Kyle Larson shares views on NASCAR's approval process amid Katherine Legge debate: "I can't speak on what needs to change"

Kyle Larson has suggested changes that can be made to NASCAR's approval process for drivers to participate in races, mentioning that they should have more experience before they are allowed to run. This is in light of the situation surrounding Katheline Legge, who recently made her Cup Series debut.

Legge, 44, debuted in the Cup Series earlier this month at Phoenix. While this was a positive moment for NASCAR, witnessing the first female driver since Danica Patrick, questions were raised about her debut as she was given the race approval just 10 days before the race.

This turned into a hot discussion in the NASCAR sphere about the approval process the sport follows. Speaking in Las Vegas, Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson mentioned that he does not know the process, so he can't comment on any changes, but he did suggest the criteria that should be put forth.

"I think in NASCAR, I don't know what the approval process is, so I can't really speak on what needs to change," Kyle Larson told the media (via Bob Pockrass). "But it is surprising sometimes, like when some drivers are not allowed to run, and then others are. So, yeah, I don't know, maybe there just needs to be a better something in place."

"I know when you're like a rookie, you have to go run ARCA races, or you've got to like build up to the size of the track and stuff like that. I mean, you have to run like three or four races before you can run like an Xfinity car or something on an intermediate or super speedway. So yeah, maybe there needs to be more of that," he concluded.

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Kyle Larson previews racing at HMS's "best track" this season

NASCAR is currently competing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Within a few weeks' time, it will move to the Martinsville Speedway for the Cook Out 400. The 0.526-mile circuit has been described as Hendrick Motorsports's best track ("statistically," as Larson said). The team has won on the track a whopping 29 times throughout the years.

Larson, who has been racing for the team since the 2021 season, has also tasted victory on the track once back in 2023. Previewing this season's race over there and drawing a comparison from their performance in Phoenix, Larson feels that the team would perform much better in Martinsville.

"I don't know. I would say as a team and organization, we're much better at Martinsville than we are at Phoenix. So, yeah, we had hopes of being better than we were at Phoenix across the board, you know, the four of us," Kyle Larson said.

"William (Byron) was pretty decent, but the rest of us were pretty average. I feel like when we go to Martinsville, we have a package we can look back on and build our car off of, making us competitive. So, I don't have as much concern going to Martinsville as I do about Phoenix right now. But Martinsville is Martinsville, and it’s still a tough track for me, even though it's crazy to think that it's probably our statistically best track on this circuit," Kyle Larson added, via Speedwaydigest.com.

Larson has been competitive this season with two top-five finishes but hasn't had the chance to win a race so far as Christopher Bell clinched three consecutive wins.