“We need all the help we can get” - Kyle Larson thankful for his qualifying position in an attempt to retain the Knoxville Nationals title

Kyle Larson was grateful for his qualifying position on Thursday's (August 8) second night of the Knoxville Nationals. The veteran racer made it to the top of the qualifying order, followed by Kelby Watt, Corey Eliason, Dusty Zomer, and Cap Henry making the top 5.

Two-time Knoxville Nationals champion Larson is back this year to defend his 2023 title. Last year, the Hendrick Motorsports ace swept all 50 laps of what the regional sprint car racers call the "Granddaddy of them all". Larson now looks forward to bagging his third win in the prestigious event in Knoxville, Iowa.

Speaking of his qualifying position this year in an interview with 'Always Race Day', Kyle Larson said:

"It's good for sure. We need all the help we can get with our qualifying program. Honestly, it's more nerve-wracking at least for me right now than being on the backstretch because we're so used to being on the backstretch that like, I don't even know where to run. But it's nice. Hopefully, it will help out."

However, starting up front might not always be the best thing on dirt tracks. Unlike NASCAR's ovals, a dirt track responds differently every time one runs on it. Furthermore, controlling winged machines while running upfront is quite tricky.

"Still don't know...sometimes it's not the best to be the first out but hopefully tonight...it'll be a benefit," Larson added.

With that said, Kyle Larson is a skilled sprint car driver. This year alone, he has six sprint car wins, including three in the High Limit Racing, which he jointly owns with his brother-in-law Brad Sweet, also a five-time World of Outlaws champion.

Kyle Larson opens up about his plans for the main event

Kyle Larson shared that he has never been good at qualifying on half-mile tracks like the Knoxville Raceway, which is situated at the Marion County Fairgrounds in Knoxville, Iowa.

Thankfully, the #57 Silva Motorsports team has been able to fix some of their qualifying issues since the time Larson competed in the 41st Kings Royal powered by the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Series in July.

"I've never qualified good on half-mile so I don't know what it is. We're trying to search a lot. I learned some of our issues at least for Kings Royal Week, while we were still back there qualifying," Larson said in the same interaction.

Still, Larson wasn't sure if the track would respond like it did during Wednesday night's (August 7) qualifying session. Reflecting on the same, Larson said:

"I doubt the track will be exactly like last night. I'm not really sure...the track's been a little bit different this year, you know, for the weekly shows. I mean, it's a dirt track, it's never the same. You gotta pay attention to it, just hit your marks, make the right decisions."

Kyle Larson, a NASCAR Cup Series regular, drives the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for American automotive tycoon Rick Hendrick. He won his career's first Cup title in his maiden year at Hendrick Motorsports.

Larson has 27 Cup Series wins under his belt. He currently tops the leaderboard with 749 points.