“I like the way things are going”

Amid lingering discontent during short practices in the NASCAR paddock, Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson laid out his thought process in highlighting his nod to the current system.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed the world, NASCAR I used to do two to three hours of workouts. The long track tests allowed the drivers to give proper feedback to the team and the crew to make the necessary adjustments on the spot and return the car to the track.

Multiple hours of car data helps teams identify the missing portion in their high-octane race and eliminate them before starting the qualifying race. However, the post-COVID era in NASCAR has witnessed a drastic reduction in the length of practice sessions.

Unlike before, each driver and car now only has 20 minutes to test and provide feedback, which has been criticized due to limited exchange of critical information. However, being used to racing on clay, Larson is used to less than 20 minutes of practice and defends a different point of view.

Ahead of his Indy 500 debut, the Californian shared his thoughts, saying (via Dirty Mo Media on X):

“Truthfully, 20 minutes is more than I’m used to in a dirt race. You know, we’ll get that in three to five laps. (If) I feel like we have an advantage with our settings and all that, I wouldn’t like it. I guess he’s selfish, but I don’t know, I like the way things are going.”

Kyle Busch takes opposite approach to training drama than Kyle Larson

The 31-year-old HMS driver is used to immediately starting his stint in dirt racing with only 3 to 5 practice laps. So NASCAR’s 20-minute practice schedule that dismays several teams might not be a big deal for Kyle Larson.

The current season has seen Kyle Busch earn three top-10s and just one top-5, where he missed the Atlanta victory by a slim margin of 0.007 seconds over winner Daniel Suarez. The Richard Childress Racing driver has repeatedly found himself battling his own No. 8 Chevrolet and believes the new practice format does not justify the essence of the practice, as he is seemingly unable to capitalize on 20 minute races.

Speaking about the unfair duration set by NASCAR, the two-time Cup Series champion Busch opened up during an interview on the Pat McAfee Showgiving a different view than Larson, saying:

“Years ago, before the COVID era, we always had 2 or 3 hours of practice in a given weekend. So a lot more time to fine-tune the cars, to work on the cars. Now when “You show up at the track, you get in, you get a little bit, and there’s not much you can adjust on the cars with the rules.”