PORT ROYAL, Pa. – The sensational body of work assembled by Kyle Larson in 2020 added another layer Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway.
Larson managed to win his 41st dirt race in his 81st start – this one a $15,000 payday with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series – turning back Brent Marks by 2.071 seconds thanks to some fortune and timely positioning.
With three laps to go, Marks shot around Larson for the lead and had the clear path to victory, but a caution for Kerry Madsen immediately after wiped it all away.
Larson eventually led the final 22 laps, as he passed pole-sitter Lance Dewease, who opened the door when he got in the wall early on.
“There’s been races where if I had things differently I would have won, but tonight I had things go for me, and I did win,” Larson said through a smile. “It’s been a dream season. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Make no mistake, Larson’s hallmark speed under the direction of Paul Silva was on full display Saturday night.
After timing eighth in the second flight on qualifying, Larson barged past Danny Dietrich and Donny Schatz to go from fourth to second on the opening lap of his heat.
That urgency put him in the dash, where he drew sixth and finished fourth. In the 30-lap feature, it didn’t take Larson long to assert himself. By lap five, he had worked his way to second, two seconds behind Dewease, the leader.
Four laps later, amid heavy lapped traffic, Larson beat Dewease back to the line by .013 seconds and sailed from there.
The race’s first caution happened on lap 16 for second-starting Anthony Macri, who had a right rear tire give way. Larson raced into clean air on the restart, but Marks moved into second from fourth shortly after and chipped away.
Marks made most of his headway in turns three and four, rolling the top while Larson stayed glued to the bottom, anticipating Dewease on his heels instead. A one-second lead with 10 laps left then shrunk to three car lengths with four to go
“I guess I got too comfortable thinking Lance [Dewease] was still in second and probably running the bottom,” Larson said. “If I would have just peaked at the board and see [Marks] was second, I probably would have moved up and been aggressive, and not get stuck sliding across.”
That’s when, with three laps left, Larson lost momentum in turns one and two and Marks drove by on the outside.
Seconds later, though, Madsen stopped on the backstretch, essentially bailing Larson out of a slip-up that would have soiled his latest accomplishment.
“I was like, ‘Oh, thank you,’” Larson said. “It was definitely lucky. We had a good enough car to put us in position to get lucky. It was definitely nice to get lucky like that.”
Now, Larson shifts his focus to the Dirt Track World Championship sanctioned by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Portsmouth Raceway Park next Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, he’ll make his return in a USAC Silver Crown car at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Larson believes 15 to 18 races remain for him in 2020, which means there’s a mathematical chance for 50 wins, a mark he’s set for himself.
“It’s doable,” Larson said. “But I also don’t know. They’re tough races. … Every race I run is tough. We’ll see. Thankfully I’m in good equipment in everything I get in. That helps a lot.”
Dewease wound up in third. Logan Schuchart and Sheldon Haudenschild rounded out the top five. Gio Scelzi, Brock Zearfoss, Brad Sweet, Carson Macedo, and Logan Wagner completed the top 10.
Donny Schatz finished 11th, while David Gravel settled for 21st.
To view complete race results, advance to the next page.