Sacramento Bee Newspaper
August 10, 2007

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/318487.html

Motor Sports Beat: Teen shows his elders how it's done
By Debbie Arrington - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 6:01 am PDT Friday, August 10, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C6

Kyle Larson just turned 15, but his driving career already is on a very fast track. Racing against veterans many years his senior, the Elk Grove teen won his first race Saturday at Placerville Speedway in the highly competitive Civil War sprint car series.

According to series officials, Larson -- who turned 15 on July 31 -- is the youngest driver to win any main event at Placerville as well as the youngest to win a Civil War feature in California. He got his first victory in only his 10th sprint car start.

"When I got out of the car, there was so much adrenaline pumping, I could barely stand up," Larson said.

The son of Mike and Janet Larson, Kyle is smaller than most of his opponents, too; he's listed at 5-foot-2 and 89 pounds. But he has no problem handling the winged sprint car.

"I like the power," he said. "Their response is so much quicker (than karts) and all the speed. We can go 130 miles per hour."

His goal is to race someday in the Nextel Cup series, following a similar path to NASCAR as Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne.

Competing for Dave and Debbie Vertullo's racing team, Larson has spent his summer racing winged sprint cars in Placerville, Chico, Calistoga, Marysville, Tulare and Petaluma. He's ninth in the Civil War standings.

"It's pretty amazing, really," Mike Larson said of Kyle's victory. "With the level of competition, we thought the odds of him winning a race this year were pretty slim."

An incoming sophomore at Pleasant Grove High School, Larson already has been racing for more than seven years, primarily in outlaw dirt sprint karts. His karting résumé boasts 129 main event victories in 512 starts with 10 track and series championships and four national titles. He also raced midgets in Arizona, drawing comparisons to NASCAR's J.J. Yeley.

As sprint car fans, the Larson family also introduced their son to plenty of live racing. By the time he turned 7, Kyle already had seen more than 100 World of Outlaw races in person with his parents.

This spring at age 14, Kyle became the youngest driver in California sprint car history to earn his competition license. His sponsor is ParkerStore, which also backs World of Outlaws star Donny Schatz.

For his breakthrough victory, Larson had to overtake another young rookie, 16-year-old Mason Moore of Princeton. Best friends, the two teens competed against each other for years in karts before graduating this summer to sprint cars.

"Mason and I have raced together for a long time in the karts," Larson said in Victory Lane after winning the California 360. "He was running a good race, and I wasn't sure I was going to catch him. ... This is really great. I want to do the best I can in this sport because my goal is to eventually get to NASCAR."
Larson and Moore have impressed their opponents.

"These guys are getting younger and faster every year," said driver Colby Wiesz, a veteran at age 31 who finished third behind Larson and Moore. "The kid has an incredible amount of talent behind the wheel of a race car. I had a great view of it all, and both Kyle and Mason deserve credit for a great race."
Both teens will be racing Saturday at Calistoga Speedway on the Napa County Fairgrounds in the annual Napa Valley Challenge. Auburn's Andy Forsberg leads the standings as he aims for his fourth Civil War title.

"My goal now is to win Rookie of the Year," said Larson, who leads Moore by six points. "It would mean a lot to my car owners."