ELK GROVE, Calif.—As an aspiring racer growing up in Northern California, Kyle Larson could not have imagined winning one NASCAR Cup Championship, let alone two.

Sure, he admired fellow Golden Stater Jeff Gordon and his path from dirt to four Cup titles.

But as a youngster growing up in Elk Grove, Larson’s dreams were simple.

“I don’t know what I was thinking back then,” said Larson after securing the 2025 Cup Championship after a serendipitous turn of events at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2. “I just wanted to be racing full-time. I never really thought about championships. I just wanted to race for a living.

“I’ve been fortunate enough that that has been my only job my whole life—race cars and driving them.”

On Friday, Larson returned home to a hero’s welcome. Fans lined the sidewalks of Elk Grove Boulevard as motorcycle patrolmen led the parade through Old Town. After a firetruck and caravan of classic cars, Larson appeared in a cobalt blue Corvette to cheers from the crowd.  

Representatives from Elk Grove, Sacramento and Sonoma Raceway acknowledged the 33-year-old Californian’s journey from outlaw karts at age seven to his first sprint car win at Placerville Speedway seven years later. 

They reflected on his 2010 Golden State KWS-NARC Series title. His standout USAC skills earned him the moniker “Yung Money” before he made it to the NASCAR ranks.  

Officials from the city declared November 14, 2025 Kyle Miyata Larson Day, as his parents Mike and Janet looked on.

“It just makes you feel special when the city that you grew up in and your local racetrack, Sonoma Raceway, come together to host this,” Larson said. “So, it feels good. 

“There's a good fan turnout, and I get to see family and friends, and all that is special because I don't get to see them too much. So, happy to be here.”

Larson autographed die-cast, t-shirts, hero cards and a flag commemorating his 2021 and 2025 titles. He took selfies with fans behind one barricade then moved to the next group of fans and another, where he stopped to hug his aunt. Then Larson continued to sign again.

Last month, Placerville Speedway announced Larson will partner with Russell Motorsports to promote this weekend’s event. Although Larson was disappointed to hear the first night of the Hangtown 100 had been postponed due to rain, the cancellation allowed him to relish the event. 

“I’m really excited about Placerville,” Larson said. “It’s my home track and I really just appreciate what they’ve tried to do to build that event. I want to see it continue to grow and I know I can draw people to the race track. 

“I’m glad to be a part of it with Scott Russell. Placerville is an awesome track.

“I grew up racing at Placerville every Saturday night, competing for weekly championships and whatnot. Winning my first race there, it definitely helps things. Hopefully, we can get a race in (Saturday) at Placerville and, yeah, have some fun.” 

With the outpouring of support Larson has received from his community, clearly he feels the need to return the favor. While Placerville was instrumental in Larson’s growth, his skills were defined on a variety of West Coast venues.

“A lot of the tracks out here helped kind of shape not only me, but anybody who's had success in sprint cars or NASCAR or whatever from this area,” Larson said. 

“I think the bullring style tracks, the aggressive style that it presents, definitely is a great training ground.”

California has enjoyed its share of NASCAR champions, from Gordon and Kevin Harvick in Cup before Larson, to Ron Hornaday, Jr., and Mike Skinner in the truck series. Redding native Tyler Reddick, a two-time NASCAR Xfinity champion, battled Larson on dirt before challenging him in stock cars.

“Well, I think it goes back to what you can race in Northern California and the types of race tracks that you're racing on,” Larson said. “The bullring-style track really teach you how to manhandle a vehicle. For Tyler and I, in our case, growing up racing outlaw karts, too, I think was really important to shape our base of how we drive. 

“I would say Tyler and I are very similar drivers, where we kind of hang it out on the edge a lot. You can produce more raw speed than a lot of people.

“Everybody develops at a young age. For us, our aggressive style was developed definitely racing in Northern California in outlaw karts and sprint cars.”

Larson hopes to continue that tradition with his participation in USAC’s West Coast Swing, now scheduled to start Saturday at Placerville. The quarter-mile track, which opened in 1965, remains a proving ground for the next generation of racers.

Some of the Hangtown 100’s regional racers now competing nationally include Ione’s Justin Grant, Penngrove’s Buddy Kofoid  and Clovis’ Corey Day, who recently inked a full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ride with Hendrick Motorsports for 2026. But they will have to outrace Larson,  who is looking for his third Hangtown 100 title.

“I just want it to continue,” Larson said of his hometown track. “I want to see it be a part of the schedule and hopefully grow along the way. It's such a cool race track and such a cool event. A 100-lap midget race. It's got a great purse. It’s one of the—if not the highest paying midget races of this season. 

“So it deserves to be on the schedule. It deserves to be a an event that competitors and fans want to go to. I was able to compete in it this year, so I wanted to be a part of it to try and help regain that momentum that it had probably lost the last couple years and especially lost last year with completely raining out. 

“Scott Russell does a great job with the track. He’s just a great promoter. I want to help out where I can and it's my home track. So, it's good to get back.”