Kyle Larson wins Knoxville Nationals hours after NASCAR race in Virginia

Larson was able to get from Richmond, Va. to Knoxville, Iowa in time to race his sprint car thanks to a rain delay at the Knoxville Nationals.

Cullen HoltKNOXVILLE, Iowa —

Racing fans will be talking about the 2026 Knoxville Nationals for a long time. The winner of this year’s biggest night in sprint car racing wasn’t planning to race at all.

Star driver Kyle Larson earned pole position for Saturday’s feature in the 65th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals. With a NASCAR race scheduled for Saturday in Richmond, Va., Larson hoped – at best – he could watch the race online.

Instead, when a rain delay pushed back the Saturday lineup in Knoxville, Larson got a window to pull off a wild cross-country doubleheader. After finishing sixth in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, Larson hopped on a private jet headed for Iowa.

He got a police excort to Knoxville Raceway just in time to hop in the car for the A Main race that started just after 1 a.m. Then, Larson dominated. He led wire-to-wire in the 50-lap feature race and took home the $200,000 top prize in the process.

Larson said his crew told him during the NASCAR race that the action in Knoxville had been delayed.

“I got a kick start of emotion there. It’s just wild how I’m here now tonight, or tomorrow I guess Sunday, standing here talking to you,” Larson said in a post-race interview broadcast over the raceway’s speakers.

The win is Larson’s fourth in six years at the Knoxville Nationals.