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Kyle Larson Doesn't Miss Living in California, Except for This One Thing
Yung Money admitted there's one reason why he still has a soft spot for the Golden State.
There's a lot to love about California, where Kyle Larson grew up. But does he miss the seemingly endless sunshine? The sprawling beaches in Venice and Santa Monica? Or the rugged coastline of Big Sur? Apparently not.
Born in Elk Grove in Sacramento County, Larson might be the California Kid of NASCAR, but he's since settled down with his family in Scottsdale, Arizona, purchasing a palatial desert oasis. The mansion comes fully equipped with four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a high-end bar and an ultra-chic infinity pool with a manicured garden space, according to the Arizona Republic. A helicopter can even be seen on the property in this NASCAR Today video.
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So, when he was asked in an interview with USAC Racing if he misses anything about California, Yung Money responded, “No, not really,” ahead of the Hangtown 100, an event Larson would go on to win.
Is there anything Kyle Larson misses about California?
Larson eventually admitted there is one thing in particular he misses about living in the Golden State. “I would say I miss the Mexican food," Larson told USAC Racing. "That’s probably about it. Yeah, I miss my friends and stuff, but I definitely don’t miss living out here at all. I think just between traffic and all that, and for a majority of the places that I race, California is so far.”
“We have our place in Arizona, so we’re a little bit closer too, so friends and family get to come a little more often, but I really just miss the food more than anything.”
When the NASCAR Cup Series switches into gear for the 2024 season, Larson, his wife Katelyn Sweet and their children will return to their residence in North Carolina. But Larson appears more than content with Scottsdale and seems to have adapted swiftly to life in the Arizona desert. In an interview with pro racer David Gravel in January, the wheelman of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy gave some insight into why he pounced on his splashy spot in Arizona.
“We obviously come here [to Arizona] for NASCAR stuff twice a year,” noted Larson. “I just love it! The golf is amazing, I just golfed earlier today. The weather’s always good. They’re just lots of things to do. We’re a little closer to home for both of us. Katelyn’s parents and my parents, they both drove here for Christmas. So, we’re closer, but not too close. And two, it’s just kind of a way to get away from racing in a sense. We’ve been here since the season ended at Phoenix, for the Cup season. It’s gone by way faster than I thought it would, this offseason.”
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Larson revealed how being away from the hectic nature of NASCAR has allowed him to really lean into activities with his children, which he wasn’t able to do as easily in North Carolina.
“It’s been a lot of fun, there’s an ice-skating rink,” Larson added. “Everything is like 10-15 minutes away, so the kids have been ice skating. They want to play hockey. Owen, I put him into wrestling, so he’s had some wrestling camps, baseball camps. I got him signed up for flag football, Audrey’s doing gymnastics. Maybe you can get some things that are 15 minutes away from you [in North Carolina]. Most of the time, you’re 30-35 minutes to what you want to go do. I love North Carolina. We still have our place there too, but I wanted to go somewhere and feel like I’m having an off-season.”
By pretty much every metric, Larson had another dominant season in the Cup Series. While Ross Chastain won the final race in Phoenix, and Ryan Blaney earned his first Cup title, Larson finished one spot behind Team Penske’s Ford driver, just narrowly coming up short in his quest to win his second title.
