Kyle Larson: 'I feel like I'm the last true racer left'

RICHMOND, Va. — Kyle Larson considers himself a throwback racer, the kind who would race any car at any time.

When asked Friday at Richmond International Raceway how he would sell himself to new fans or fans whose interest in racing may have waned, Larson was blunt.

“I feel like I'm the last true racer left,” the Chip Ganassi Racing driver said. “There's other drivers on the Cup level who go on their off weekends and run other types of racing and stuff. They don't race nearly as much as I do outside of NASCAR, and I would race a lot more if I was allowed to. That's why I feel like I'm the last true racer.”

Larson, who leads the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings through eight races, also wasn’t shy about comparing himself to some of the biggest legends in racing.

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“I love to race any type of vehicle — whether it's in a circle, straight line, road course, I don't care. I just feel like (Mario) Andretti and (A.J.) Foyt and Tony Stewart — I feel like I'm in that same category as them. They would race anything every day of the week.”

Larson, 24, is a co-owner of Larson Marks Racing, a sprint car racing team that fields full-time driver Shane Stewart and, occasionally, Larson as well, in World of Outlaw races. Larson makes no secret of his love of dirt racing, but this season especially, his focus has been the No. 42 Cup team and his ascent to the top of NASCAR’s premier series.

Heading into Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 (2 p.m. ET, Fox), Larson has scored five top-fives, including a victory at Auto Club Speedway on March 26, and four runner-up finishes, including three in a row in the first three weeks in March.

PHOTOS: 2017 NASCAR Cup Series race winners