“Our sport is a family sport”: Kyle Larson’s son Owen gets all clear from NASCAR VP amidst potential penalty claims for Las Vegas celebration

NASCAR driver Kyle Larson will not be penalized for celebrating with his son Owen after winning the Cup race in Las Vegas.

Kyle Larson made headlines during the third Cup Series race of the season in Las Vegas as he cruised to a one-sided victory in the Pennzoil 400, his third victory at the venue. The 31-year-old led 181 out of a total of 267 laps to jump to the top of the drivers' standings.

However, what stole the spotlight following Larson's victory was his celebration with eight-year-old son Owen Larson. Kyle Larson’s son climbed on top of the No. 5 car, sharing the moment with his father following Larson's first win of the season.

While many applauded the display of familial support, some expressed concerns that Owen's involvement could result in damage to the vehicle, potentially leading to penalties for Larson. Addressing the speculations, senior NASCAR Vice President Elton Sawyer stated on a recent episode of The Morning Drive podcast:

"If you look at our sport, it’s a family sport, and to see Kyle win the race and Owen come running across the infield there, I just thought that was a great moment. We’ve seen that before."

Sawyer highlighted previous instances, including Kevin Harvick's celebration with his son Keelan. He said:

"We’ve seen Kevin Harvick and Keelan at Michigan a couple years ago. We do want to preserve the vehicle and make sure it gets through the inspection process.

"But in this case, there was no issues there. If we see issues going forward, then we will, you know, we’ll get with the teams and the drivers and say, ‘Hey, we probably need to look at it from this angle.’ But I will say that was a special moment and to see that was great."

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Kyle Larson on sharing the victory lane celebration with his son

In a press conference following the race, Larson echoed Sawyer's sentiments, emphasizing the joy of celebrating with his family. The Hendrick Motorsports driver said (via Racing America):

"It's really fun to celebrate with the family. These are core memories that my kids are going to be able to remember for the rest of their lives."

Imagining himself in Owen's shoes at nine years old, Kyle Larson marveled at the thought of standing atop his father's racecar. He said:

"I can only imagine me being nine years old and standing on the roof of my dad's racecar, staring at this crowd, like, how that must feel. I don't know if he understands either. It would have to be pretty special at least to look back on."