Why Is William Byron the Favorite NASCAR Driver of Kyle Larson’s Daughter?

Gowtham Ramalingam
|Published

William Byron emerged to be one of NASCAR fandom’s favorite drivers at the end of the 2023 season. But Kyle Larson’s 5-year-old daughter Audrey Layne Larson made him her star long before any of the others did. Talking in an episode of Garage Talk, Larson revealed how little Audrey had first met Byron at the Hendrick Motorsports garage back in 2021 and immediately taken a liking to him.

The first meeting between Audrey and Byron happened at the Pocono Raceway when she was walking to her father’s #5 Camaro. Holding a hero card in her hands she’d walked up to Byron to get it signed and been smitten by the #24 driver. Larson said, “I mean you could tell like instantly. She was just staring at him and, you know, star-struck. Ever since that day, William Byron has been her number one.”

Audrey is the second child of Kyle Larson and his wife, Katelyn. Born in May 2018, she was around 3 years old when she met Byron. In 2022, her parents revealed her to be suffering from Alopecia, an auto-immune disorder that causes hair loss. The Larsons most recently made one more addition to their family when they welcomed another little boy, Cooper Donald Larson.

For Kyle Larson, it will be a while before he gets to know if at least one of his children will name him as their favorite because his eldest, Owen, has his eyes on a different driver too like his sister.

Kyle Larson’s eldest, Owen, doesn’t name his father as his favorite either

In 2021, NASCAR organized a show called ‘Back Seat Drivers’ with a little twist. The children of famous Cup Series stars played host and guest on this show and it featured Taylor Hamlin, Alex Almirola, and Owen Miyata Larson. The trio spent their time on the show discussing their favorites for the championship, their favorite drivers, and some of their other cool experiences in NASCAR.

When Owen’s turn came to disclose who his favorite man behind the wheel was, he replied, “Brad”. Though Larson was left funnily disappointed at his son’s answer he hoped that the kid meant his uncle Brad Sweet and not Brad Keselowski.

The #5 Hendrick Motorsports star will surely be hoping that at least Cooper Larson grows up to call him his favorite race car driver.


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About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The Sports Rush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 350 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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