Kyle Larson has had a good rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series even though he was hastily promoted to the series, after just one full Nationwide season. Some skeptics believed it would be like Joey Logano getting rushed into Cup in 2009 after Tony Stewart left Joe Gibbs Racing one year earlier than planned. Logano had only experienced half of a Nationwide season. Similarly, Larson quickly found himself in Cup when Juan Pablo Montoya left Chip Ganassi Racing after last year along with former Dale Earnhardt Inc. co-owner Teresa Earnhardt. Fans thought Larson wasn't ready, and in the first few races of this season it appeared they were right.
But Larson has slowly gotten better as the season has gone on, and he is now the prime contender for Rookie of the Year honors this year, a position that Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon was originally thought to be in. He won the pole at Pocono in August, and also started first at Richmond in April after rain set the field based on practice speeds. He hasn't gone to victory lane in the series yet, although he has come close several times in recent races. He has picked up his first two Nationwide wins this year with Turner-Scott Motorsports, who gave Larson's car in that series a new look to match his #42 Target Chevrolet in Cup. Larson also almost became one of the first rookies to make the Chase.
So it looks like Chip Ganassi made a good decision after all to choose Larson as Montoya's replacement in NASCAR's top series. The attitude toward Larson in Cup has gone from "this kid needs more time in Nationwide" to "this kid is going to win in Cup soon and be the Rookie of the Year". And he is certainly one of the drivers who are leading this new generation of champions in NASCAR.
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