Spotlight or Lack of Shine

The Shine Was Already There — Kyle Larson Just Makes It Brighter

From the HSDM perspective

Kevin Harvick recently made a point about Kyle Larson’s presence in major dirt events that caught our attention: “Here’s the bottom line: their shine isn’t near as big if Kyle Larson isn’t there racing.”

We understand the point. We really do.

Kyle Larson is a superstar. When he straps into a sprint car, people who might not normally be watching sprint car racing suddenly start paying attention. The cameras show up. The mainstream racing world takes notice. New fans discover what those of us in the dirt world have known for years.

That is a good thing.

We all want to elevate sprint car racing. We want more eyes on our sport, more people in the grandstands, more sponsors investing in teams, more coverage and more opportunities for the drivers who make this sport what it is.

But there is one thing we absolutely do not agree with: Diminishing the talent already living and breathing inside sprint car racing in order to elevate it.

Because let’s be honest about Kyle Larson.

There is no faithful comparison.

Kyle isn’t simply another driver who happens to cross over from NASCAR and win dirt races. The guy is a freak of nature. His ability to adapt, feel a race car and extract every ounce of performance from it is extraordinary.

And when you put him in the Paul Silva No. 57, you’re talking about something even more special.

That combination is ridiculous.

Driver. Car. Crew. Chemistry. Experience.

There simply isn’t a better team.

So when Kyle Larson wins the Knoxville Nationals in the 57, the answer isn’t that everyone else suddenly wasn’t good enough to matter. The answer is that one of the most naturally gifted racers on the planet showed up with one of the best sprint car teams on the planet and did exactly what they are capable of doing.

And that should make the rest of us appreciate the level of competition—not dismiss it.

We also have to push back on the idea that the Knoxville Nationals somehow lacked the proper “shine” until there was a possibility of Kyle Larson showing up for the championship race.

Come on.

The Knoxville Nationals has been the Knoxville Nationals long before Kyle Larson was born.

Fans didn’t need Larson to convince them to come to Knoxville.

They showed up.

And they showed up in droves.

The grandstands were packed. The campground was packed. The atmosphere was electric. The history, tradition and prestige of the biggest sprint car race in the world were already there.

Sprint car racing isn’t sitting around desperately waiting for someone to save it.

We’re not hurting for fans.

Would we welcome an influx of new fans?

Absolutely.

Would we love to see Larson’s NASCAR audience discover sprint car racing?

Hell yes.

Would we love to see more people fall in love with the sport, the drivers, the teams and the incredible machinery?

Every. Single. Time.

But bringing new eyes to sprint car racing shouldn’t come at the expense of the people who have spent their entire lives building it. There are drivers in this sport who can put a sprint car places that most human beings wouldn’t even consider attempting to go.

There are teams operating on budgets that would make any NASCAR team laugh, yet they unload at Knoxville and go toe-to-toe with the best in the world.

There are generations of families, owners, mechanics, crew members and fans who have sacrificed everything to keep this sport alive.

That! Is the shine!

Kyle Larson doesn’t create it.

He amplifies it.

And maybe that’s the better way to look at all of this.

Don’t tell the world that sprint car racing needed Kyle Larson to become important.

Tell the world that Kyle Larson knows the Knoxville Nationals is already extraordinary.

And if his presence brings another million people through the door?

We’ll gladly make room.

Because at HSDM, we don’t want to take anything away from Kyle Larson.

Quite the opposite.

We want to celebrate what makes him so damn special while simultaneously giving the rest of this incredible sport the credit it deserves.

The shine was already there.

Kyle just happens to be one hell of a spotlight.