By ohnson 
“I would have been content with finishing sixth or seventh, but once I got into the lineup, I was able to start passing cars rather early,” said NASCAR star turned Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions driver for the night, Kyle Larson.
The night was relatively uneventful for Larson after he was given the opportunity to drive a car that is typically driven by Christopher Bell. It was the No. 14 owned by Tony Stewart. This was a one-night deal, as Kyle explained. “Chris said he couldn’t make it for this show when I talked to him earlier this week. He told me to text Tony (Stewart), and I did. And it actually came together at 1 o’clock on Monday afternoon,” he said.
He had finished fourth in his heat and started the main race in a rather unremarkable 15th position. However, at the finish line, he was just.113 of a second behind eight-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz.
Standing beside his hauler after a hectic racing night, Larson had a smile on his face as he reflected on the 30-lap race. “When I was passing cars early on, I knew I had found something. On the restart after the red flag for the Joey Saldana and Jason Johnson accident on lap 15, I figured I was in fifth or sixth place. I knew I had been passing cars early, and even though I wasn’t exactly sure of my position, I knew I was moving forward. After that restart, we just got on a roll,” Larson explained.
Another red flag stopped the race on lap 19 when Brent Marks crashed into the outside wall on the front stretch and ended up on his side. Two laps later, Larson passed third-place runner Daryn Pittman, and the next lap saw the field bunch up again. With just three laps to go, Larson executed a slide job on Chad Kemenah in the second turn to claim the runner-up position.
Looking back at the pass for second place, Kyle commented, “It might have been close, and even though I didn’t feel him, I think Chad had to back off a bit.”
On the last lap, Donny Schatz had a seemingly insurmountable lead, but he was having trouble with a lapped car that simply held its line. Larson noticed that Schatz was being held back. “Donny got trapped behind the lapped car and he was being patient. I had good momentum between third and fourth, and I thought I might have a chance at him.” He did have a chance, but it wasn’t enough as Schatz won his third race in four Florida starts.
Larson knew this was a one-night deal and was very grateful. “I love getting into a Sprint Car, and I had a great time tonight. I really have to thank Tony Stewart and the Tony Stewart Racing team for allowing me to do this,” he said.
The Volusia fans saw Kyle Larson come back home on the second night of the Nationals. Despite not having many opportunities to race a Sprint Car during the season, he put on an amazing show.